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PHOTOGRAPHIC 


Printing  Methods: 


A  PRACTICAL  GUIDE 


TO  THE 


Professional  ^Amateur  Worker, 

BY  THE 


Rev.  W.  H.  BURBANK. 


\ 

_orNu; 

rsi  14 


MEW  YORK: 

SCOVILL  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY 
423  BROOME  STREET. 


1887. 


COPYRIGHT, 

1887, 

By  SCOVILL  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY. 


PUBLISHERS’  NOTE. 


The  pictorial  illustrations  which  embellish  this  book  were 
selected  as  best  representing  two  of  the  many  photographic  print¬ 
ing  methods  herein  described.  The  frontispiece,  a  photo-gravure, 
is  an  excellent  example  of  a  high  grade  of  photo-mechanical  re¬ 
production,  while  the  bromide  print  represents  an  improved 
method  of  true  photographic  printing.  Both  the  illustrations  are 
from  negatives  made  on  Eastman’s  stripping  films  and  are  thus 
examples  of  an  improved  negative  process  as  well. 

The  photo-gravure  was  made  by  the  Photo-gravure  Company 
of  New  York,  and  is  reproduced  from  a  negative  by  Mr.  Ernest 
Edwards,  the  President  of  that  Company.  In  the  Chapter  on 
“  Photo-mechanical  Printing  Methods”  will  be  found  a  descrip¬ 
tion  of  the  process  of  the  reproduction. 

For  the  bromide  print  our  thanks  are  due  to  the  Eastman  Dry 
Plate  and  Film  Company  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.  It  is  from  a 
negative  by  Prof.  W.  D.  Holmes,  of  Avondale,  Cincinnati,  O., 
lately  in  charge  of  the  photographic  laboratories  at  the  Lehigh 
University,  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

“  The  negative,”  he  writes,  “  is  of  a  little  old  Spanish  cottage 
in  ‘  Spanishtown,’  Santa  Barbara,  Cal.  I  think  it  is  known  as 
the  ‘  Pico’  cottage.  It  was  made  late  in  April,  the  present  year, 
developed  with  the  regular  bromide  developer,  using  rather  more 
bromide  of  potassium  than  is  advocated  in  the  printed  formula.” 
For  complete  information  on  bromide  printing  we  direct  the 
reader  to  the  Chapter  on  “  Printing  with  Emulsions.” 

These  brief  explanatory  remarks  having  been  made,  it  only  re¬ 
mains  to  present  the  volume  itself  to  the  photographic  fraternity. 
And  this  we  do  with  the  pleasant  conviction  that  the  book  will 
certainly  meet  with  the  hearty  and  appreciative  reception  which 
it  deserves. 


The  Publishers. 


PREFACE. 


In  the  following  pages  the  author  has  aimed  to  collect  in 
easily  accessible  form,  information  and  formulas  connected 
with  the  production  of  photographic  prints.  His  purpose  has 
been  to  impart  the  information  in  the  simplest  and  most  prac¬ 
tical  way  possible,  and  to  avoid  errors  in  the  numerous  form¬ 
ulas  given,  all  of  which  he  believes  will  stand  the  test  of  ac¬ 
tual  use.  Sufficient  material  was  collected  to  have  filled  double 
the  number  of  pages  of  this  little  volume,  but  since  to  have 
done  so  would  have  been  unduly  to  have  increased  the  cost  of 
the  book  without  enhancing  its  usefulness,  the  writer  has  ex¬ 
ercised  his  best  judgment  in  the  selection  of  the  material  at 
his  command,  giving  only  those  methods  which  his  own  prac¬ 
tice  or  that  of  others  commended  as  useful  and  practical. 

The  work  is  rather  one  of  compilation  than  of  original  re¬ 
search,  and  the  author  has  not  scrupled  to  make  use  of  the 
work  of  others,  giving  due  credit  wherever  the  sources  of  in¬ 
formation  were  known  to  him. 

The  opening  chapters  on  the  “  Theory  of  Light”  and  its 
“Action  on  Sensitive  Compounds”  are  merely  condensed  from 
“Abney’s  Handbook  of  Photography,”  and  are  given  for  the 
information  of  those  who  may  care  to  know  something  of  the 
chemical  changes  produced  by  the  action  of  light  upon  the 
compounds  most  commonly  used  in  photographic  printing. 

The  author’s  best  thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  W.  I.  Lincoln 
Adams  and  Dr.  Charles  Ehrmann,  of  the  Photographic 
Times ,  for  the  very  valuable  advice  and  assistance  which 
they  have  freely  given  him,  and  for  their  careful  reading  of 
the  proof ;  also  to  Mr.  C.  W.  Canfield,  for  books  furnished  by 
him  which  were  of  great  assistance  in  writing  the  chapters  on 
“  Carbon  Prints”  and  “  Photo-ceramics.” 

In  conclusion,  the  author  ventures  to  express  the  hope  that 
the  following  pages  may  prove  useful  to  his  brother  amateurs 
to  whom  the  book  is  respectfully  dedicated. 

W.  II.  Burbank. 


Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  July,  1887. 


List  of  Photographic  Works  Consulted. 


Abney,  W.  de  W. — “A  Treatise  on  Photography.”  New  York, 
1878.  D.  Appleton  &  Co. 

Abney,  W.  de  W.,  and  Robinson,  H.  P. — “  Tlie  Art  and  Prac¬ 
tice  of  Silver  Printing.”  New  York,  1881.  Scovill 
Manufacturing  Company. 

Geymet. — “Traite  Pratique  des  Emanx-Photograpliiques.” 
Paris,  1885.  Gautliier- Yillars. 

Geymet. — “  Traite  Pratique  de  Ceramique  Photographique.” 
Paris,  1885.  Gauthier- Yillars. 

Godard. — “  Artiste,  Printer,  Decorateur.”  Paris,  1885. 
Gauthier- Yillars . 

Hardwich,  T.  F. — “  A  Manual  of  Photographic  Chemistry.” 

New  York,  1886.  Scovill  Manufacturing  Co. 
Liesegang,  Paul  E. — “Le  Procede  au  Charbon.”  Paris,  1886. 
Gauthier-Y  illars. 

Morch,  J.  O. — “Handbuch  der  Chemigraphie  nnd  Photochemi- 
graphie.”  Diisseldorf,  1886.  E.  Liesegang. 

Robinson,  H.  P.— “ Pictorial  Effect  in  Photography.”  Phila¬ 
delphia,  1881.  Edward  L.  Wilson. 

Roux,  Y. — “Traite  Pratique  de  Photographie  Decorative.” 
Paris,  1887.  Gauthier- Yillars. 

Roux,  Y. — “  Traite  Pratique  de  Gravure  Heliographique.” 
Paris,  1886.  Gauthier- Yillars. 

Roux,  Y. — “Manuel  de  Photographie  et  de  Calcographie.” 
Paris,  1886.  Gauthier- Yillars. 

Yogel,  H.  W. — “Progress  in  Photography.”  Philadelphia, 
1883.  E.  L.  Wilson. 

Wilson,  E.  L. — “  Photographies.”  Philadelphia,  1883.  E.  L. 
Wilson. 

Husnik,  J. — “Die  Heliographie.”  Yienna,  1878.  A.  Hartle- 
ben. 

Husnik,  J. — “  Das  Gesammtgebiet  des  Lichtdrucks.”  Yienna, 
1880.  A.  Hartleben. 


8 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  WORKS  CONSULTED, 


Geymet. — “  Traite  Pratique  ae  Photogravure  sur  Zinc  et  sur 
Cuivre.”  Paris,  1886.  Gautliier- Yillars. 

Just,  E.  A. — “  Der  Positiv  Process  auf  Gelatine-Emulsion- 
papier.”  Vienna,  1885.  E.  A.  Just. 

Much  valuable  information  has  also  been  derived  from  vol¬ 
umes  of  the  British  Photographic  Annuals,  from  Wilson’s 
“Mosaics,”  from  the  “American  Annual  of  Photography  for 
1887,”  and  from  the  columns  of  the  Photographic  Times  and 
the  other  American  Photographic  journals,  to  all  of  which  the 
author  gratefully  acknowledges  his  indebtedness. 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION  : 

PAGE 

Theory  of  Light — Action  of  Light  Upon  Sensitive  Compounds — 

Resume  of  Printing  Processes .  11 

CHAPTER  I. 

Printing  with  Iron  and  Uranium  Compounds .  17 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Silver  Bath .  25 

CHAPTER  III. 

Fuming  and  Printing . 33 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Toning,  Fixing  and  Washing .  41 

CHAPTER  V. 

Printing  on  Other  than  Albumen  Paper . . .  51 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Platinotypf. .  '15 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Printing  with  Emulsions . .  61 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Mounting  the  Prints .  . .  •  90 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Carbon  Printing .  96 

CHAPTER  X. 

Printing  on  Fabrics .  105 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Enlargements .  109 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Transparencies  and  Lantern  Slides .  132 


10 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Opal  and  Porcelain  Printing .  160 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Photo-Ceramics — Enamelled  Intaglios .  165 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Photo-Mechanical  Printing  Methods .  190 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Various  Methods  for  Putting  Pictures  on  Blocks  and  Metal 
Plates  for  the  Use  of  the  Engraver .  205 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Recovery  of  Silver  from  Photographic  Wastes — Preparation 
of  Silver  Nitrate,  Etc .  210 

Index .  217 


INTRODUCTION. 


THEORY  OF  LIGHT. 

The  almost  universally  accepted  theory  of  light,  and  the  one 
which  explains  the  greatest  number  of  observed  phenomena, 
is  that  which  is  known  as  the  wave  theory.  Light  as  such  is 
merely  a  sensation.  All  space  is  assumed  to  be  permeated  with 
a  fluid  known  as  ether,  capable  of  being  acted  upon  by  a  light 
or  heat  source  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  rise  to  an  unbroken  and 
continuous  series  of  waves.  Of  the  original  form  of  these 
waves  we  know  nothing.  In  the  case  of  unpolarized,  or  ordinary 
white  light,  they  are  supposed  to  be,  and  the  supposition  seems 
to  be  substantiated  by  experiments,  compounded  of  an  infinite 
number  of  different  undulations,  each  series  differing  in  length 
from  crest  to  crest.  According  as  the  length  of  these  undula¬ 
tions  vary,  so  do  their  effects  differ.  Those  of  a  certain  length, 
for  instance,  are  able  to  affect  the  waves  of  the  retina  ,  otlieis 
affect  nerves  lying  in  the  body,  giving  rise  to  the  sensation  of 
heat ;  while  others  still  are  known  only  by  their  power  of  pi  o- 
ducing  chemical  combinations  or  decomposition  in  certain  com¬ 
pounds. 

The  perception  of  color  is  due  to  the  varying  lengths  of  the 
light  waves,  the  shortest  gives  the  sensation  of  a  violet  coloi, 
the  longest  that  of  a  brilliant  red,  waves  of  intermediate  lengths 
producing  respectively  the  sensation  of  blue,  green,  yellow, 
or  orange.  The  limits  of  the  heat  spectrum  are  at  least  as  gieat 
as  those  of  the  color  spectrum,  while  the  limits  of  the  chemi¬ 
cally  active  rays  are  known  to  be  much  greater.  The  term 
actinic  has  been  applied  to  ail  those  rays  capable  of  effecting 
decomposition  in  any  compound,  and  their  range  varies  from 
every  photographic  substance,  thus  producing  greater  or  less 
sensitiveness.  It  may  be  laid  down  as  a  fundamental  and  un¬ 
alterable  law,  that  whenever  light  of  any  kind  is  absorbed  by 
any  body,  work  of  some  kind  has  been  performed  in  that  body. 
In  the  case  of  the  compounds  employed  in  photographic  print- 


12 


INTRODUCTION. 


ing,  that  work  is  some  chemical  or  physical  change  or  decom¬ 
position. 

Action  of  Light  Upon  Sensitive  Compounds. 

In-order  to  understand  something  of  the  changes  produced 
in  various  sensitive  compounds,  some  knowledge  of  the  ultimate 
structure  of  matter  is  necessary.  We  may  consider  every 
particle  of  matter  to  be  made  up  of  molecules,  each  molecule 
being  further  suhdivived  into  atoms,  the  smallest  divisible  por¬ 
tions  of  matter.  The  arrangement  of  these  atoms  differs  in 
various  substances.  When,  for  instance,  the  atoms  of  any 
compound  are  so  arranged  as  to  be  incapable  of  forming  mole¬ 
cules  of  a  simpler  type,  a  large  amount  of  work  would  be  re¬ 
quired  to  separate  them,  and  the  atoms  are  said  to  occupy  a 
position  of  stable  equilibrium,  such,  for  instance,  as  that  of  a 
pyramid  standing  on  its  base.  Substances  in  which  the  atoms 
are  in  this  state  of  exceedingly  stable  equilibrium,  are,  of 
course,  useless  for  photographic  printing  purposes,  and  are  said 
to  he  insensitive  to  light. 

When,  however,  the  atoms  of  a  molecule  are  so  arranged 
as  to  he  capable  of  separating  into  more  than  one  molecule, 
of  less  complex  character  it  may  he,  it  may  happen  that  the 
atoms  are  in  a  condition  of  indifferent  equilibrium,  such,  for 
instance,  as  that  of  the  frustrum  of  a  pyramid  standing  on 
a  narrow  section  parallel  to  its  base.  Compounds  in  which 
the  atoms  are  in  this  state  of  indifferent  equilibrium  are,  as  a 
rule,  easily  affected  by  light,  separating  under  its  action,  and 
arranging  themselves  in  a  different  order.  The  sensitiveness 
of  the  molecules  of  such  compounds  to  light  depends  upon  the 
fact  that  the  molecules  are  in  a  state  of  constant  vibration. 
The  effect  of  the  successive  impact  of  the  waves  of  light  is 
to  increase  the  force  of  these  vibrations  until  sufficient  force  is 
generated  to  cause  the  atoms  to  overcome  the  attraction  bind¬ 
ing  them  together,  when  they  arrange  themselves  in  other 
groups,  forming  different  compounds. 

The  final  effect  of  the  waves  of  light  in  breaking  down  the 
original  arrangement  of  atoms,  may  be  compared  to  the  break¬ 
ing  down  of  a  bridge  under  the  increasing  vibrations  imparted 
to  it  by  a  body  of  troops  marching  over  it  in  regular  step, 


INTRODUCTION. 


13 


although  the  bridge  might  be  capable  of  bearing  double  the 
weight.  In  both  cases  it  is  the  regularity  of  the  force  com¬ 
municating  the  vibrations  which  produces  the  result.  That  this 
theory  is  correct  is  shown  by  the  observed  fact  that  the  bodies 
employed  for  photographic  purposes  are  chiefly  affected  by  the 
shorter  waves  of  light,  the  quickly  repeated  blows  increasing 
more  rapidly  the  force  and  extent  of  the  vibrations,  and  pro¬ 
ducing  a  more  rapid  breaking  up  of  the  atoms. 

One  more  remark  may  serve  to  explain  why  in  some  print¬ 
ing  processes  the  change  in  atomic  composition  is  so  great  as 
to  be  visible  to  the  eye,  as  in  the  case  of  prints  on  the  ordin¬ 
ary  silver  paper ;  while  in  others,  the  change  is  so  slight  that 
the  eye  detects  no  alteration  in  physical  appearance,  as,  for 
instance,  in  prints  on  bromide  paper.  This  difference  is  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  number  of  molecules  affected  in  a  brief 
interval  of  time  is  so  small  that  the  atomic  change  is  invisible 
to  the  eye,  or  so  like  in  physical  appearance  to  the  former 
condition  as  to  escape  detection  until  the  application  of  the 
developer  has  rendered  the  change  visible.  The  difference 
between  the  two  images  is  not  one  of  chemical  composition, 
but  merely  of  the  number  of  molecules  changed. 

In  the  case  of  prints  in  silver  the  commonly  accepted 
theory  of  the  change  produced  by  the  action  of  light  is  that 
the  molecule  of  silver  chloride,  Ag2Cl2,  breaks  up  into  one 
molecule  of  silver  sub-chloride,  Ag3Cl,  and  one  of  chlorine, 
Cl.  But  if  silver  chloride  is  exposed  in  the  presence  of  free 
silver  nitrate,  as  is  the  case  with  sensitized  paper,  then  fresh 
silver  chloride  is  formed  and  hypochlorous  acid  is  liberated, 
which  is  a  compound  of  oxygen  and  chlorine.  In  practice  it 
has  been  found  that  the  darkening  of  the  silver  chloride  takes 
place  much  more  rapidly  when  some  chlorine  absorbing  sub¬ 
stance  is  present.  Hence  the  common  practice  of  fuming 
with  ammonia,  a  chlorine  absorber,  although  as  vigorous 
prints  may  be  produced  by  the  addition  of  ammonium  nitrate 
or  potassium  nitrate  to  the  sensitizing  bath. 

It  is  to  be  remarked  that  the  above  theory  of  the  action  of 
light  upon  a  sensitive  silver  surface,  which  is  that  of  Captain 
Abney,  of  England,  is  disputed  by  many  photographic  chem¬ 
ists  in  this  country.  Professor  Newberry,  of  Cornell  (Jni- 


14 


INTRODUCTION. 


versity,  a  high  authority,  denies  the  existence  of  the  sub- 
chloride,  and  claims  that  all  the  nitrate  is  converted  into 
chloride.  The  subject  is  involved  in  great  obscurity,  and  at 
present  neither  theory  is  to  be  implicitly  accepted  as  the  true 
one. 

Many  organic  substances  are  capable  of  forming  definite 
compounds  with  soluble  silver  salts,  and  the  effect  of  the  action 
of  light  is  then  made  more  complex.  In  the  case  of  albumen 
paper  sensitized  on  a  solution  of  silver  nitrate,  an  albuminate 
of  silver  is  formed,  and  by  the  action  of  light  the  silver  is 
reduced  to  a  condition  of  organic  oxide,  unaffected  by  sodium 
hyposulphite,  which  dissolves  the  undarkened  albuminate. 

This  is  a  brief  statement  of  the  action  of  light  upon  the 
compound  of  silver  in  common  use  by  photographic  printers, 
and  it  will  serve  to  explain  the  changes  produced  in  com¬ 
pounds  of  other  metals  occasionally  employed  for  printing 
purposes,  the  ferric  and  uranic  compounds  being  reduced  to 
ferrous  and  uranous,  which  are  amenable  to  the  action  of  vari¬ 
ous  developing  agents.  Salts  of  other  metals  are,  as  a  rule,  too 
insensitive  to  the  action  of  light  to  be  of  value  even  for  con¬ 
tact  printing. 


Resume  of  Printing  Processes. 

The  fundamental  principle  underlying  all  the  various  meth¬ 
ods  of  photographic  printing  is  that  of  molecular  change  pro¬ 
duced  in  the  sensitive  compound  by  the  action  of  light.  In 
most  of  the  processes  this  change  is  visible  in  all  its  stages, 
subsequent  manipulations  only  serving  to  change  the  color  of 
the  image  and  to  give  it  greater  permanence.  To  this  class 
belong  all  the  well-known  printing-out  methods,  the  general 
characteristic  of  all  being  the  greater  or  less  degree  of  visibil¬ 
ity  of  the  impression  when  taken  from  the  printing-frame ; 
the  main  point  of  difference  being  the  nature  of  the  sensitive 
medium  employed,  usually,  iron,  uranium,  silver,  or  platinum 
and  iron  together. 

There  is,  however,  an  interesting  class  of  printing  methods 
in  which  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  molecular  change  pro 
duced  by  the  action  of  light  is  visible  only  after  developing  or 


INTRODUCTION. 


15 


reducing  agents  nave  been  employed ;  these  bring  out  the 
latent  image  and  affect  its  color  tone. 

Each  of  these  two  classes  of  printing  methods  has  advan¬ 
tages  peculiar  to  itself ,  advantages  which  will  probably  pre¬ 
vent  either  from  supplanting  the  other.  Of  the  first  group, 
that  of  printing-out  methods,  the  chief  advantages  are  the  ease 
and  certainty  with  which  an  image  of  any  desired  strength 
and  modification  can  be  obtained ;  its  adaptability  to  double  or 
combination  printing ;  and  the  wide  range  of  tone  which  it  is 
possible  to  give  to  the  finished  print.  Among  the  advantages 
of  the  second  group  we  may  mention  the  following :  rapidity 
of  reproduction ;  artistic  beauty  of  result ;  and,  probably, 
greater  permanence. 

Historically  speaking,  the  first  family  must  claim  precedence. 
It  belongs  to  the  antiquities  of  photography.  It  was  the 
method  first  employed  by  the  pioneers  in  photographic  re¬ 
search;  it  is  the  one  by  which  photography  is  generally 
known  to  the  public  of  to-day,  and  it  includes  by  far  the 
greater  number  of  printing  methods  commonly  practised  at 
the  present  time.  It  rightly,  therefore,  claims  the  first  place 
in  our, consideration. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC 


PRINTING  METHODS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PRINTING  WITH  IRON  AND  URANIUM  COMPOUNDS. 

According  to  the  investigations  of  Sir  John  Herschell,  the 
double  citrate  of  iron  and  ammonia  is  more  readily  acted  upon 
by  light  than  any  of  the  other  iron  salts,  the  double  oxalate  of 
iron  and  potassium  ranking  next.  As  printing  with  the  latter 
compound  has  none  other  than  an  experimental  value,  it  will 
not  be  treated  of  in  these  pages. 

The  law  upon  which  the  process  of  printing  with  salts  of 
iron  is  based,  is  that  the  ferric  salts  are  by  the  action  of  light 
reduced  to  the  ferrous  salts,  which  are  capable  of  being  acted 
upon  by  various  toning  agents,  such  as  potassium  ferri-cyanide, 
gold  chloride,  platinic  tetrachloride,  mercuric  chloride,  potas- 
sic  bichromate,  cupric  chloride,  etc. 

The  developing  solution  most  commonly  employed  is  potas- 
sic  ferri-cyanide,  and  for  its  use  two  methods  are  adopted, 
one  being  to  coat  wTell-sized  paper  with  the  solution  of  the 
iron  salt,  dry,  print,  and  tone  on  a  solution  of  potassic  ferri- 
cyanide.  The  other  and  more  convenient  method  is  to  coat 
the  paper  with  a  mixed  solution  ot  iron  and  ferri-cyanide  and 
to  fix  the  print  in  water. 

If  the  first  method  be  chosen,  the  following  mode  of  pro¬ 
cedure  is  to  be  adopted  : 

Citrate  of  iron  and  ammonia,  -  -  154  grains. 

Water  (distilled),  -  -  -  -  25  drams. 

Apply  this  solution  to  the  paper  with  a  brush  or  sponge,  or 
float  the  paper  on  it  from  one  to  three  minutes.  When  dry, 
expose  under  the  negative  until  a  faint  image  is  visible.  For 


18 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


a  blue  print  immerse  in  a  solution  of  potassium  ferri-cyanide, 
one  to  ten.  When  the  image  is  fully  developed  or  toned, 
wash  thoroughly  in  water,  adding  a  little  citric  or  acetic  acid 
to  the  first  wash  water.  This  will  dissolve  out  all  the  soluble 
salts  and  leave  the  blue  image  unchanged. 

If  a  purple  image  is  desired,  immerse  the  print  in  a  neutral 
solution  of  gold  chloride ;  gold,  one  grain,  water,  four  ounces. 
The  reduction  of  the  gold  takes  place  according  to  the  law 
that  the  ferrous  salts  reduce  salts  of  gold  to  the  metallic  state. 
To  fix  the  pictures  they  are  immersed  in  a  bath  of  dilute 
hydrochloric  acid  and  then  well  washed.  This  process  gives 
the  once  noted  chrysotype.  Other  tones  may  be  produced  by 
immersing  the  prints  in  a  very  dilute  solution  of  platinic 
tetrachloride,  mercuric  chloride,  cupric  chloride,  or  potassic 
bichromate,  of  about  the  same  strength  as  the  gold  solution 
mentioned  above,  always  using  the  acid  bath,  followed  by 
copious  washing.  These  methods  give  very  pleasing  results 
and  are  worthy  the  attention  of  amateur  printers.  I  cannot 
vouch  for  the  permanency  of  prints  so  made,  as  I  have  not 
experimented  with  a  view  to  test  for  permanency,  but  I  have 
no  doubt  that  the  results  are  at  least  reasonably  permanent  if 
pure  chemicals,  water,  and  paper  be  used.  Greater  exposure 
will  be  found  necessary  with  the  salts  of  gold,  platinum,  etc., 
than  when  the  ferricyanide  is  employed. 

An  interesting  method  of  developing  points  for  paper  pre¬ 
pared  with  the  double  salt  of  iron  and  ammonia  is  to  float  them 
on  a  40  grain  solution  of  silver  nitrate  to  which  a  few  drops  of 
gallic  acid  and  acetic  acid  have  been  added.  The  silver  nitrate 
is  reduced  to  the  metallic  state  by  the  ferrous  salt,  and  the  me¬ 
tallic  silver  is  deposited  where  the  ferrous  salt  was  present. 
The  gallic  acid  causes  a  further  reduction  of  silver,  and  an 
image  in  metallic  silver  is  formed,  which  is  presumably  per¬ 
manent. 

I  now  come  to  the  more  usual  method  of  usino-  the  citrate  of 
iron  in  conjunction  with  the  ferricyanide,  thus  uniting  sensi¬ 
tizer  and  developer.  This  process  has  simplicity  to  recommend 
it,  and  when  at  its  best  it  gives  very  charming  results.  But  to 
insure  the  highest  degree  of  excellence  in  blue  prints,  the  fol¬ 
lowing  points  must  be  most  carefully  attended  to : 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


19 


1.  The  chemicals  should  he  pure. 

2.  The  paper  must  be  free  from  deleterious  matter. 

3.  A  few  grains  of  bromide  should  be  added  to  the  mixed 
solutions  ;  this  confers  greater  keeping  power  to  the  paper,  and 
adds  to  the  density  of  the  prints. 

4.  The  first  wash  water  should  contain  a  little  citric  or  hydro- 
-chloric  acid,  and  the  after  washing  should  be  most  thorough. 

5.  The  paper  should  be  sensitized  in  a  dim  light,  or  pure 
whites  will  be  unknown. 

6.  The  paper  should  be  sized.  Albumen  coagulated  by  heat 
is  undoubtedly  the  best  sizing,  but  the  following  arrow-root 
sizing  will  prove  satisfactory  :  154  grains  of  arrow-root,  rubbed 
up  with  cold  water,  then  poured  into  25  ounces  of  boiling 
water,  and  6  ounces  of  alcohol  added.  Float  the  paper  on 
this  solution  for  two  or  three  minutes,  and  suspend  to  dry  by 
the  end  which  left  the  solution  last,  in  order  to  equalize  the 
coating. 

Good  blue  prints  can  be  made  without  attention  to  these 
points,  but  all  the  capabilities  of  the  process  will  show  them¬ 
selves  only  when  they  are  observed,  and  the  good  workman 
will  always  try  to  bring  out  the  best  there  is  in  every  process 
he  experiments  with. 

Various  formulae  for  sensitizing. 


1.  — A — Red  prussiate  of  potash,  -  -  -  1  ounce.- 

Water,  -----  8  ounces. 

B — Citrate  of  iron  and  ammonium,  -  -  1  ounce. 

Water,  -  -  %%  ounces. 

One  part  of  B  to  two  parts  of  A. 

2.  — A — Red  prussiate  of  potash,  -  -  -  48  grains. 

Water,  -----  1  ounce. 

B — Citrate  of  iron  and  ammonium,  -  -  64  grains. 

Water, . 1  ounce- 


(For  dense  negatives  use  108  grains  of  citrate.) 

Keep  solutions  separate  and  in  the  dark,  until  wanted  for 
use  ;  then  mix  A  and  B  in  equal  parts,  or  one  part  of  A  with 
two  parts  of  B,  as  less  or  more  intense  prints  are  desired. 

3. — A — Citrate  of  iron  and  ammonium,  -  -  1  Ji  ounces. 

Water,  -  8  ounces. 

B — Red  prussiate  of  potash,  -  -  -  1J4  ounces' 

Water,  -  8  ounces. 


20 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Mix  equal  parts  when  wanted. 

4. — A — Citrate  of  iron  and  ammonium, 
Water,  ... 

B — Red  prussiate  of  potash,  - 
Water,  ... 


534  drams. 
5  ounces. 

drams. 
7  ounces. 


Mix  equal  parts  immediately  before  using. 

Nos.  4  and  5  are  recommended  by  the  Photographic  Times , 
and  are  thoroughly  reliable. 


5. — A — Citrate  of  iron  and  ammonium, 
Water,  - 

B — Red  prussiate  of  potash,  - 
Water,  ... 


2  ounces. 
8  ounces. 
2  ounces. 
8  ounces. 


Mix  A  and  B  in  equal  parts  just  before  using.  Keep  solu¬ 
tions  in  the  dark. 

To  sensitize  paper  for  blue  prints,  lay  the  paper  on  a  piece 
of  clean  glass,  clipping  it  at  the  corners.  Apply  the  solution 
with  a  piece  of  soft  sponge,  squeezed  into  the  mouth  of  a  short 
bottle.  Dip  the  sponge  in  the  solution,  and  squeeze  moderately 
dry  ;  than  go  over  the  paper  in  one  direction ;  again  dip  the 
sponge  and  go  over  the  paper  once  more  at  right  angles  to  the 
first  strokes,  carefully  avoiding  streaks,  which  will  occur  if  the 
sponge  contains  too  much  of  the  solution.  When  sensitized, 
the  paper  should  present  an  even  golden  hue. 

The  paper  should  be  dried  in  the  dark  and  used  at  once. 
Print  until  the  shadows  are  bronzed. 

If,  after  the  paper  is  washed,  the  sky  and  highest  lights  are 
perfectly  white,  the  color  can  be  deepened  by  immersing  the 
prints  for  a  few  seconds  in  the  following  solution : 


Saturated  solution  sulphate  of  iron,  - 
Sulphuric  acid,  ... 

Water,  - 

Or  the  following : 

Acetate  of  lead,  ... 

Water,  - 


4  ounces. 
4  drams. 
4  ounces. 


2  ounces. 
8  “ 


With  the  latter  bath,  the  printing  should  be  quite  dark. 

To  give  blue  prints  a  green  tone,  print  rather  light,  well 
wTash,  and  immerse  in  the  following  bath  : 


Water, 

Sulphuric  acid, 


8  ounces, 
dram. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


21 


For  brownisli-black  tones,  immerse  for  five  minutes,  after 

washing,  in  a  solution  of  : 

Tannic  acid,  -----  1  dram. 

Water,  -  -  -  -  -  -  4  ounces. 

Then  change  to  a  solution  of : 

Carbonate  of  soda,  .  -  -  -  1  dram. 

Water,  -  -  -  -  -  -  5  ounces. 

Leave  the  prints  in  this  solution  for  one  minute ;  then 
change  back  to  the  tannin  solution.  Repeat  this  until  the 
print  has  assumed  a  deep  wine  color;  than  wash  and  dry. 
When  dry,  the  print  will  be  almost  black,  but  the  whites  will 
have  a  slightly  reddish  tinge. 

The  following  process  is  recommended  by  the  Scientific 
American  for  producing  dark-brown  tones : 

Dissolve  a  small  piece  of  caustic  potash  in  five  ounces  of 
water.  Immerse  the  blue  prints  in  this  solution  until  they  as¬ 
sume  a  pale  orange-yellow  color.  When  all  the  blue  tint  has 
disappeared,  wash  in  clean  water.  How  dissolve  a  partly 
heaped -up  teaspoonful  of  tannic  acid  in  eight  or  ten  ounces  of 
water.  Flace  the  yellow  prints  in  this  bath,  and  allow  them 
to  remain  until  they  are  as  dark  as  you  desire.  Then  take 
them  out,  wash  well,  and  dry. 

Sepia  Tones. 

Wash  the  prints  thoroughly ;  place  them  in  the  tannin  bath 
mentioned  above,  for  a  few  minutes  ;  then  change  to  the  soda 
solution,  and  repeat  several  times,  but  be  very  careful  not  to 
allow  the  soda  bath  to  act  too  long. 

Lilac  Tones. 

These  may  be  obtained  by  immersing  the  washed  prints  in 
a  dilute  solution  of  ammonia,  but  the  color  is  not  permanent, 
and  numerous  experiments  of  my  own  have  thus  far  failed  to 
remedy  this  defect. 

I  have  introduced  some  of  the  various  ways  which  have 
been  adopted  to  change  the  color  of  blue  prints,  more  as  a 
matter  of  interest  to  experiment-loving  amateurs  than  because 
I  believe  them  to  have  any  practical  value.  In  no  case  are  the 
colors  as  brilliant  as  that  of  the  original  blue  print,  and  the 
permanency  of  these  metamorphized  piints  is  moie  than 


22 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


doubtful.  That  there  is  a  future  in  store  for  the  iron  process 
I  do  not  doubt,  but  I  do  not  think  that  it  will  come  in  any  of 
these  ways,  but  by  some  after  treatment  of  prints  made  on 
paper  sensitized  with  the  iron  solution  alone,  in  some  such  way 
as  platinum  prints  are  produced,  which  are  nothing  more  than 
a  development  of  the  iron  process. 

In  my  own  experiments  I  have  met  with  the  best  results  by 
subjecting  prints  on  iron  sensitized  paper  to  the  action  of 
various  toning  agents,  notably  the  tetrachloride  of  platinum  in 
the  proportion  of  one  grain  to  an  ounce  of  water,  followed 
by  subsequent  washing  in  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  and  a 
thorough  washing  in  clean  water. 

Blue  Prints. 

Collachi's  Method. — Well-sized  paper  is  coated  twice  with  a 
solution  made  as  follows : 


Water,  ..... 

Citric  acid,  ..... 
Chloride  of  iron,  ... 

Gum  arabic,  - 

90  parts. 

|  parts. 

|  parts. 

-  fV  parts. 

The  prints  are  developed  by  floating  on  a  twenty-four  per 
cent,  solution  of  ferricyanide  of  potassium. 

Pizzeghilli  s  Method. — The  following  three  stock  solutions 
are  made  up : 

A — Water,  - 

Gum  arabic,  -  -  - 

100  parts. 

20  parts. 

B — Water,  - 

Chloride  of  iron,  ... 

100  parts. 

50  parts. 

C — Water,  - 

Ammonio-citrate  of  iron, 

100  parts. 

50  parts. 

The  sensitizing  solution  is  as  follows : 

Solution  A,  -  -  -  - 

Solution  B,  - 

Solution  C,  -  -  -  - 

20  parts. 

-  6  parts. 

8  parts. 

The  mixture  immediately  thickens,  but  after  standing  for 
some  time  it  resumes  its  original  tenuity.  It  is  then  ready  for 
applying  to  the  paper  either  with  /i  brush  or  sponge,  or  prefer¬ 
ably  by  floating  from  two  to  three  minutes. 

The  paper  prints  very  rapidly,  and  it  is  well  to  use  slips  of  the 
sensitized  paper  to  determine  the  proper  exposure.  The  prints 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


23 


are  developed  with  a  twrenty  per  cent,  solution  of  ferricyanide 
of  potassium,  either  by  brushing  the  solution  on  the  face  of  the 
print  or  by  floating.  Whichever  method  be  adopted  care  must 
be  taken  not  to  allow  any  of  the  developer  to  touch  the  back 
of  the  print. 

As  soon  as  the  print  has  gained  sufficient  vigor,  it  is  rinsed 
in  water,  then  immersed  for  a  short  time  in  dilute  hydrochloric 
acid,  and  finally  washed  in  clean  water. 

Poitivin’s  Process. 

This  process  is  based  on  the  fact  that  ferric  salts  possess  the 
property  of  making  gelatine  insoluble. 

The  paper  is  first  floated  on  a  warm  solution  of  gelatine 
(1  to  15),  to  which  some  suitable  pigment  has  been  added. 

When  dry,  it  is  sensitized  by  immersion  in  the  following 
simple  solution : 

Ferric  chloride,  ...  -  -  480  grains. 

Tartaric  acid,  -  -  -  144 

Water,  -  -  -  -  -  10  ounces. 

The  paper  is  dried  in  the  dark.  The  effect  of  the  action  of 
light  is  to  convert  the  ferric  chloride  to  ferrous  chloride  in 
those  parts  on  which  the  light  has  acted,  thus  rendering  the 
gelatine  coating  soluble  in  hot  water,  where  it  is  in  contact 
with  the  ferrous  salt. 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  a  reversed  positive  is  neces¬ 
sary  to  yield  a  positive  print.  When  sufficiently  printed,  the 
image  is  developed  by  simple  immersion  in  hot  water.  The 
insoluble  parts  remain  on  the  paper  and  form  the  image. 

The  great  drawback  to  the  process  is  the  necessity  of  print¬ 
ing  from  reversed  positives,  but  it  is  probable  that  this  defect 
might  be  remedied. 

Pellett’s  Process. 

Black  Lines  on  a  White  Ground. 

Gum, 

Sodium  chloride,  - 
Tartaric  acid,  -  -  -  • 

Perchloride  of  iron,  - 

Water  to  make  up  to  - 


385  grains. 

46  grains. 

62  grains. 
123  grains. 
3J^  ounces. 


24 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Highly  sized  and  smooth  paper  is  to  be  evenly  coated  with 
this  mixture,  dried  in  the  dark,  and  exposed  under  a  negative. 

Develop  with  a  saturated  solution  of  ferricyanide  of  potas¬ 
sium.  Fix  in  a  1-10  solution  of  hydrochloric  acid. 

Printing  with  Uranium — Sensitizing  Solution. 


1. — Nitrate  of  uranium,  ... 
Water,  ..... 

Developing  Solutions. 

For  Brown  Tones. 

A.  — Ferricyanide  of  potassium, 

Nitric  acid,  .... 
Water,  - 

B.  — Nitrate  of  silver, 

Acetic  acid, 

Water, 


For  Gray  Tones. 


-  616  grains. 

7 Js  ounces. 


15  grains. 

2  drops. 

8%  ounces. 


80  grains. 
4  drops. 
11  drams. 


The  paper  is  floated  eight  minutes  on  the  sensitizing  bath. 
When  dry,  it  is  exposed  under  the  negative,  and  then  developed 
by  floating  on  either  of  the  baths  A  or  B.  After  develop¬ 
ment,  wash  thoroughly  in  water  slightly  acidulated  with 
hydrochloric  acid. 

If  the  print  when  floated  on  solution  B  lacks  vigor,  add  a 
few  drops  of  a  saturated  solution  of  gallic  acid. 

Uranium  prints  may  be  toned  with  gold,  platinum,  or  other 
salts. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


25 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  SILVER  BATH. 

The  usual  method  of  rendering  paper  of  any  kind  sensitive 
to  light  is  to  float  it  for  a  varying  length  of  time  on  a  solution 
of  silver  nitrate,  having  previously  salted  it,  if  it  he  plain 
paper,  with  some  chloride,  usually  chloride  of  ammonium.  1  ie 
function  of  the  chloride  is  to  convert  the  nitrate  of  silver  into 
the  chloride  of  the  same  metal.  In  practice  it  has  been  found 
that  the  strength  of  the  silver  bath  should  not  fall  below  t  nrty 
grains  of  silver  to  the  ounce  of  water,  lest  the  albumen  be  dis¬ 
solved  ;  and  that,  save  in  exceptional  cases,  there  is  no  neet  o 
a  greater  strength  than  sixty  to  sixty-five  grains  to  the  ounce. 
The  precise  strength  necessary  to  produce  the  best  results 
with  any  given  brand  of  albumen  paper  depends  upon  the 
amount  of  chloride  used  in  salting  ;  a  paper  weak  m  chloride 
requiring  a  weak  bath,  while  one  rich  in  chloride  demands  a 

strong  one.  £  , 

In  the  absence  of  any  intimation  from  the  dealer  of  the 

strength  of  the  salting  of  any  paper,  it  may  be  determined  by 
the  following  method,  for  which  I  am  indebted  to  another 
volume  of  this  series  (“  The  Art  and  Practice  of  Silver  Print¬ 
ing”'):  “  Cut  up  a  quarter  sheet  of  paper  into  small  pieces,  and 
place  them  in  a  couple  of  ounces  of  alcohol.  This  wil  <  l=; 
solve  out  most  of  the  chloride,  and  should  be  decanted  off. 
Another  two  ounces  of  alcohol  should  be  added  to  the  paper, 
and,  after  thoroughly  soaking,  should  be  decanted  off  and 
added  to  the  other  spirit.  The  spirit  containing  the  chloride, 
may  then  be  placed  in  a  glass  vessel  standing  m  hot  water, 
when  it  will  evaporate,  and  leave  the  chloride  behind.  It  may 
be  weighed,  but  since  it  is  better  to  know  how  much  silver 
chloride  would  be  formed,  the  residue  should  be  dissolved  m 
a  few  drops  of  water,  and  a'  little  silver  nitrate  added.  The 
silver  chloride  will  be  precipitated,  and  should  be  carefully 
washed  with  water,  and  then  be  filtered,  the  paper  being 


26 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


opened  out  and  dried  before  a  fire  on  filter  paper.  The 
chloride  is  then  detached  and  weighed;  three  and  a  half  grains 
of  silver  chloride  would  show  that  a  weak  bath  should  be 
used,  whilst  ten  grains  would  show  that  a  strong  bath  was 
required.” 

The  strength  of  the  negatives  to  be  printed  from  has  also 
to  be  considered  in  determining  the  strength  of  the  sensitizing 
bath.  A  strong,  hard  negative  will  give  better  results  on 
paper  floated  on  a  weak  bath,  say  thirty-five  grains  to  the 
ounce,  and  should  be  printed  in  the  sun,  for  the  reason  that 
an  intense  light  diminishes  contrast.  A  weak  negative  on  the 
other  hand  demands  a  strong  bath,  seventy-five  or  eighty 
grains  to  the  ounce,  and  printing  in  diffused  light  to  increase 
contrast.  In  cold  weather  the  strength  of  the  bath  should  be 
increased. 

Preparation  of  the  Bath. — First  settle  upon  the  strength  of 
the  bath  and  the  number  of  ounces  required  ;  then  weigh  out 
the  requisite  number  of  grains,  placing  a  piece  of  filter  paper 
in  each  scale-pan,  as  a  safeguard  against  accidental  impurities. 
Place  the  silver  in  a  clean  bottle,  and  add  to  it  the  proper 
amount  of  water,  which  should  be  distilled,  or  boiled  and  fil¬ 
tered.  If  the  water  contains  any  chlorides,  they  will  make 
their  presence  known  by  a  milkiness  in  the  solution,  which 
should  then  be  filtered.  Your  bath  is  now  ready  for  imme¬ 
diate  use,  unless  you  wish  to  add  some  other  soluble  salts  to  it, 
as  chlorine  absorbers ;  in  this  case,  sodium  nitrate  or  ammonium 
nitrate  will  serve  your  purpose,  adding  as  much  of  either  as 
your  silver  weighed.  In  hot,  dry  weather  the  addition  of  one 
of  these  salts  will  be  found  advantageous,  as  tending  to  pre¬ 
vent  that  excessive  dryness  of  the  paper  which  is  fatal  to  the 
best  results.  The  best  prints  are  obtained  from  paper  which 
is  not  entirely  free  from  water,  for  the  reason  that  with  very 
dry  paper  the  chlorine  liberated  by  the  action  of  light  is  apt  to 
attack  the  albuminate  of  silver,  one  of  the  compounds  formed 
when  albumen  paper  is  sensitized  with  silver. 

Many  printers  are  in  the  habit  of  adding  alum  to  the  sensi¬ 
tizing  bath,  to  prevent  it  from  discoloring  and  to  harden 
the  albumen.  The  best  way  to  add  it,  is  to  place  a  small 
piece  of  alum  in  the  filter  paper  before  filtering,  or  you  may 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


27 


add  one  grain  of  alum  to  every  ounce  of  solution,  and  then 
filter. 

Never  allow  the  bath  to  remain  acid  from  the  addition  of 
nitric  acid,  as  the  acid  attacks  the  albumen.  Keep  the  bath  neu¬ 
tral  by  the  addition  of  a  little  carbonate  of  silver,  which  may 
be  done  by  occasionally  adding  a  few  drops  of  sodium  carbon¬ 
ate,  which  precipitates  silver  carbonate  from  a  solution  of  sil¬ 
ver  nitrate. 


Formula  for  Sensitizing  Bath. 

For  Very  Strong  Negatives. 

* 

1. — Silver  nitrate,  -  -  -  -  -  35  grains. 

Water,  -  t  ounce. 

Print  in  full  sunlight. 


For  Thin  Negatives. 

2.  — Silver  nitrate,  - 

Water,  - 

Print  in  the  shade. 

3.  — Silver  nitrate,  - 

Ammonium  nitrate, 

Ammonia,  - 
Water,  - 


80  grains. 

1  ounce. 

60  grains. 
60  grains. 

2  minums 
1  ounce. 


This  is  the  bath  I  commonly  use,  and  the  resulting  prints 
have  always  satisfied  me.  To  keep  it  in  good  order,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  strengthen  as  required,  and  to  add  a  few  drops  of 
ammonia  occasionally. 

The  bath  yields  prints  that  tone  with  remarkable  ease  and 
richness  with  or  without  fuming ;  preferably  without. 


4. — Silver  nitrate,  .  -  -  -  60  grains. 

Sodium  nitrat, . 60  grains- 

Alcohol, . &  dram- 

Water, . '  1  ounce* 

For  prints  on  plain,  resinized,  gelatinized  paper  and  leath- 

60  grains. 

5  grains. 

1  ounce. 


erized  paper : 

5. — Silver  nitrate, 
Gelatine, 
Water,  - 


C.  W.  Hearn’s. 


40  grains. 
1  ounce. 


6. — Nitrate  of  silver, 

Distilled  water, 

To  every  twenty  ounces  of  solution  add  one  dram  of  saturated 
solution  of  carbonate  of  soda.  The  bath  will  at  once  assume  a 


28 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


creamy  color;  allow  the  solution  to  settle,  then  decant  and 
filter.  Carbonate  of  silver  will  deposit  in  the  bottle,  and  this 
will  take  the  organic  matter  from  the  hath  and  prevent  it 
from  discoloring.  Allow  the  carbonate  to  remain  in  the  bath, 
pouring  the  solution  back  upon  after  using.  Then  shake  well 
and  the  bath  will  soon  be  ready  for  use  again. 

Keep  the  bath  up  to  its  full  strength  and  occasionally  add 
a  few  drops  of  the  carbonate  of  soda  solution. 

The  Ammonio-nitrate  of  Silver  Bath. 

* 

Nitrate  of  silver,  2  ounces. 

Water,  .....  16  ounces. 

When  the  silver  is  dissolved,  take  one-fifth  of  the  solution, 
and  add  strong  ammonia  drop  by  drop  until  the  brown  oxide 
of  silver  first  formed  is  redissolved,  and  then  add  it  to  the  re¬ 
maining  four-fifths.  Oxide  of  silver  will  again  be  formed, 
which  is  to  be  redissolved  with  pure  nitric  acid,  care  being 
taken  to  add  only  enough  to  redissolve  the  oxide.  The  solu¬ 
tion  will  be  slightly  alkaline,  and  is  not  liable  to  turn  red  un¬ 
less  allowed  to  become  impoverished  of  silver. 

This  bath  gives  pure  rich  tones  of  a  bluish-black,  without 
the  use  of  the  gold  toning  bath,  but  a  small  amount  of  chlor¬ 
ide  of  gold  should  be  added  to  the  hypo  bath. 

This  bath,  although  increasing  sensitiveness  and  deepening 
the  intensity  of  the  prints,  is  now  but  little  used,  for  the  rea¬ 
sons  that  it  does  not  coagulate  albumen,  that  it  is  more  liable 
to  spontaneous  change,  and  more  easily  discolored  by  organic 
matter,  than  the  plain  silver  bath,  and  that  free  ammonia  is 
liberated,  which  is  a  solvent  of  chloride  of  silver,  which  it 
attacks,  giving  rise  to  white  lines  and  transparent  markings. 

On  plain  paper  it  gives  a  velvety  appearance  to  the  prints, 
which  can  hardly  be  obtained  with  simple  nitrate  of  silver. 

I  have  found  that  the  method  of  applying  it,  recommended 
by  Hardwich,  is  better  than  floating.  The  paper  to  be  sensi¬ 
tized  is  laid  down  on  blotting  paper,  and  the  solution  evenly 
applied  with  a  broad  camel’s-hair  brush,  used  for  that  purpose 
only  and  kept  scrupulously  clean. 

Floating  the  Paper. — It  will  be  found  a  great  saving  of 
time  to  float  at  least  a  half  sheet  of  paper,  11  inches  by  18,  and 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


29 


for  this  size  a  tray  12  inches  by  19,  and  3  inches  deep  will 
be  required.  A  wooden  tray  coated  with  asphalt  varnish  is 
cleanly  and  cheap.  There  should  be  enough  of  the  bath 
poured  in  to  cover  the  bottom  of  the  pan  to  a  depth  of  at  least 
half  an  inch,  and  it  should  have  been  most  carefully  freed  from 
all  impurities  before  the  sensitizing  is  begun.  Impurities  and 
air-bubbles  are  the  two  great  enemies  of  the  sensitizing-room. 
How  grasp  the  paper  by  the  two  opposite  corners,  albumen 
side  down,  bring  the  hands  together,  and  lower  the  convex 
side  to  the  surface  of  the  bath ;  separate  the  hands,  and  the 
paper  will  float  on  the  surface.  If  it  shows  an  obstinate  tend¬ 
ency  to  curl  up,  gently  breathe  upon  it.  This  difficulty  may 
be  overcome  by  placing  the  paper,  the  night  before  sensitizing, 
in  a  damp  place.  How  raise  one  corner  and  look  for  air-bub¬ 
bles.  If  any  are  found,  break  them  with  the  point  of  a  glass 
rod,  and  again  lower  the  paper.  When  it  has  floated  the  proper 
length  of  time,  raise  it  by  one  corner  very  slowly,  until  an¬ 
other  corner  is  free,  which  is  then  grasped  by  the  other  hand 
and  the  paper  slowly -withdrawn,  allowed  to  dram  a  minute 
into  the  dish,  and  hung  up  by  one  corner  to  dry  in  the  dark, 

or  yellow  light.  .nix 

Some  sensitizers  draw  the  paper  over  a  glass  rod  placed  at 

one  end  of  the  dish,  but  there  is  some  danger  of  streaks ;  oth¬ 
ers  blot  the  paper  when  taken  from  the  bath,  but  this  practice 
is  attended  with  danger,  owing  to  the  impurities  present  in 
most  blotting-paper.  If  desired,  the  paper,  when  surface-dry, 
can  be  dried  in  a  drying-box,  which  is  easily  made  by  con¬ 
structing  a  box  30  inches  long,  14  inches  wide,  and  10  or  12 
inches  deep,  with  a  hinged  or  sliding  door.  In  one  end,,  cut  a 
hole  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  cover  it  on  the  inside  with  an 
inverted  tin  dish  of  the  proper  size.  Fasten  the  box  against 
the  wall,  with  the  end  in  which  the  hole  was  cut,  high  enough 
from  the  floor  to  allow  a  lamp  to  be  placed  underneath.  About 
two  inches  from  the  top,  string  some  wires  two  inches  apart ; 
on  these  suspend  the  paper  by  clips  at  two  corners,  close  the 
door  and  light 'the  lamp  ;  the  paper  will  soon  be  dry  enough 

for  printing  or  fuming.  .  .  , 

Time  of  Floating.- This  is  largely  determined  by  the 
strength  of  the  bath ;  a  strong  bath  requiring,  as  a  rule,  longer 


30 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


floating  than  a  weak  one,  for  the  reason  that  the  albumen  is 
coagulated  more  slowly ;  from  one  to  three  minutes  seems  to 
be  the  common  practice. 

Management  of  the  Silver  Bath. — To  secure  good  results 
with  any  form  of  the  silver  bath,  two  points  must  be  most  care¬ 
fully  attended  to,  viz. :  its  strength,  and  its  freedom  from 
impurities.  Every  sheet  of  paper  sensitized,  weakens  the  bath 
by  depriving  it  of  a  portion  of  its  silver.  This  loss  must  be  made 
good,  or  the  forgetful  amateur  will  soon  have  the  unpleasant  sur¬ 
prise  of  seeing  the  albumen  dissolve  off  the  paper  into  the  bath. 
Two  methods  are  employed  to  keep  the  bath  up  to  its  original 
strength ;  one  is  to  add  a  few  drops  of  an  80-grain  solution 
after  every  four  sheets  are  sensitized.  The  other  requires  the 
possession  of  an  argentometer,  or  hydrometer,  an  instrument  for 
testing  the  specific  gravity  of  liquids ;  the  argentometer  being  an 
hydrometer  graduated  to  register  grains  of  silver  to  the  ounce  of 
water.  To  use  it,  the  glass  jar  which  accompanies  the  instrument 
is  partly  filled  with  the  solution,  the  hydrometer  gently  dropped 
into  it,  and  allowed  to  come  to  rest.  The  number  of  grains  of 
silver  to  the  ounce  is  known  by  the  number  of  degrees  on  the 
scale  to  which  the  instrument  sinks.  This  being  known,  and 
the  total  number  of  ounces  of  the  solution  measured,  it  becomes 
an  easy  matter  to  determine  how  much  silver  must  be  added  to 
bring  the  bath  up  to  its  original  strength.  If  you  have  a  total 
quantity  of  12  ounces  of  solution,  and  the  hydrometer  registers 
35,  while  your  original  solution  was  made  up  at  60  grains  to  the 
ounce,  the  bath  has  evidently  lost  25  grains  for  each  ounce  of 
solution.  This  amount  then  must  be  restored  to  it  in  the 
shape  of  fresh  crystals  of  silver  nitrate;  in  this  case  25X12,  or 
300  grains  of  silver. 

Methods  of  Removing  Impurities. — The  chief  source  of 
contamination  to  the  bath  is  organic  matter  carried  into  it  from 
the  paper,  in  time  causing  a  brownish  or  reddish  discoloration 
of  the  solution,  which  must  be  removed,  since  paper  floated  on 
such  a  bath  is  darkened  and  unevenly  sensitized.  Several 
methods  are  in  common  use  to  get  rid  of  this  discoloration. 
The  earliest,  and  perhaps  one  of  the  best,  is  to  add  a  teaspoonful  of 
kaolin  to  the  solution,  which  is  then  well  shaken  up.  The  or¬ 
ganic  matter  adheres  to  the  kaolin  and  soon  settles  to  the  bottom 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


31 


of  the  bottle  with  it.  When  this  has  taken  place,  the  solution  is 
filtered,  and  it  is  again  ready  for  use.  Another  method,  which 
has  the  advantage  of  delaying  sensitizing  hut  a  moment,  is  to  add 
1  dram  of  a  10  percent,  solution  of  permanganate  of  potash  to 
the  hath.  The  theory  of  this  addition  is  that  the  oxygen  lib¬ 
erated  from  the  permanganate  oxidizes  the  organic  matter,  which 
then  falls  to  the  bottom  of  the  dish.  This  method,  although 
good  in  an  emergency,  does  not  leave  the  hath  absolutely 

pure. 

A  favorite  plan  with  many  is  to  add  a  dram  or  two  of  a 
saturated  solution  of  camphor,  shake  well,  and  filter,  repeating 
the  operation  if  the  hath  is  not  decolorized  by  the  first  treat¬ 
ment. 

Still  another  method  is  to  add  a  few  drops  of  hydrochloric 
acid  to  the  solution ;  this  forms  chloride  of  silver,  which  settles 
to  the  bottom,  carrying  the  impurities  with  it.  This  is  a  very 
effective  method,  but  leaves  the  bath  acid  from  the  formation 
of  nitric  acid ;  the  solution  must  therefore  be  neutralized  with 

ammonia  or  carbonate  of  soda. 

My  own  method  is  to  add  a  few  grains  of  sodium  carbonate 
and  set  the  bottle  in  the  sun.  The  organic  matter  soon 
becomes  oxidized,  and  finally  settles  to  the  bottom ;  the  solution 

mav  then  be  filtered  or  decanted. 

To  complete  this  part  of  the  subject,  I  add  a  description  of  the 
boiling  method  which  is  sometimes  necessary  in  the  case  of  an 
old  bath,  which,  in  addition  to  organic  impurities,  contains  an 
excess  of  the  soluble  salts  with  which  the  paper  was  salted. 
Evaporate  the  bath,  by  boiling  or  otherwise,  to  about  half  its 
bulk.  Then  add  10  drops  of  nitric  acid  for  every  20  ounces  of 
solution.  Next  add  some  granulated  zinc  ;  this  causes  the  sil¬ 
ver  to  precipitate  in  the  metallic  state ;  the  precipitation  is 
complete  in  two  or  three  hours ;  pour  off  as  much  of  the  fluid 
as  possible,  and  pick  out  all  the  zinc  possible ;  then  add  hydro¬ 
chloric  acid  to  dissolve  the  remaining  pieces  of  zinc.  Filter  the 
solution,  and  wash  the  deposit  on  the  filter  paper  once  or  twice 
with  water.  Then  dry  the  filter  paper  in  the  oven ;  remove 
the  silver  and  place  it  in  a  crucible,  which  is  to  be  brought  to 
a  red  heat  by  any  convenient  means.  Now  cover  the  silver 
with  nitric  acid ;  place  the  mixture  in  an  evaporating  dish  and 


32  PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 

slightly  warm  it.  When  red  fumes  cease  to  appear,  add  more 
acid  until  nearly  all  the  silver  is  dissolved.  Evaporate  off  all 
the  fluid,  and  set  aside  to  cool ;  then  add  water,  but  he  sure 
to  keep  it  over  strength  for  the  bath.  Test  with  the  argen- 
tometer,  and  add  the  amount  of  water  necessary  to  give  tb* 
proper  strength  for  sensitizing. 

Points  in  Sensitizing. 

1.  Have  the  paper  damp  before  silvering. 

2.  Before  floating  ascertain  the  condition  of  the  bath  as  to 
strength  and  alkalinity. 

3.  Do  not  allow  the  paper  to  become  bone-dry  before  print¬ 
ing  if  you  wish  to  have  rich  prints.  Of  course,  it  must  be  dry 
enough  not  to  adhere  to  the  negative  ;  anything  more  than  this 
is  not  only  useless,  but  fatal  to  securing  the  best  results. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


33 


CHAPTER  III. 

FUMING  AND  PRINTING. 

Is  fuming  necessary,  or  is  it  not  ?  This  is  a  question  on 
which  the  authorities  differ.  It  is  claimed  that  fuming  pre¬ 
vents  measles,  yields  pluckier  prints,  and  makes  toning  more 
easy.  In  America,  it  is  the  almost  universal  practice,  while  it 
is  by  no  means  common  in  England  and  on  the  Continent. 
But  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  paper  in  which  a  little  mois¬ 
ture  is  present,  yields  better  prints  than  one  which  is  perfectly 
dry,  and  that  the  prevailing  humidity  in  England  and  the  Con¬ 
tinent  prevents  the  paper  from  becoming  too  dry.  In  the  hot, 
dry  summer  weather  of  America,  however,  the  paper  quickly 
becomes  over-dry,  and  fuming  is  resorted  to  to  impart  the 
necessary  moisture.  Paper  sensitized  on  a  bath  containing 
nitrate  of  ammonia  or  sodium  will  require  little  or  no  fuming. 
My  own  practice  is  to  use  a  strong  sensitizing  bath,  float  for 
two  or  three  minutes,  dry  without  heat,  and  omit  the  fuming. 
If  you  wish  to  fume,  however,  the  drying-box  mentioned  on 
page  167  can  be  used  by  placing  a  saucer  containing  a  dram 
or  so  of  strong  ammonia,  and,  about  an  inch  above  this,  a 
frame  carrying  a  flne-wire  screen,  to  equalize  the  distribution 
of  the  fumes. 

Time  of  Fuming. — It  is  impossible  to  give  any  precise  in¬ 
structions  on  this  point,  so  much  depends  on  the  quality  of  the 
negatives  to  be  printed  from,  the  strength  of  the  bath,  the 
quality  of  the  paper,  and  the  temperature.  Hard  negatives 
yield  better  prints  on  paper  which  has  had  very  little  fuming, 
as  fuming  promotes  speedier  bronzing  in  the  shadow's  ;  a  weak 
negative  can  be  made  to  yield  better  prints  by  fuming.  Some 
brands  of  paper  require  more  fuming  than  others,  and  in  cold 
weather  fuming  is  to  be  carried  on  longer  than  is  necessary  in 
warm  weather.  From  15  minutes  to  one  hour  may  be  taken 
as  the  limits.  The  paper  must  be  thoroughly  dry  before  fum¬ 
ing  is  begun. 


34 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Printing. — It  may  be  laid  down  as  a  rule,  admitting  no  excep¬ 
tions,  that  a  good  negative  is  essential  to  a  good  print  on  silver 
paper,  which  does  not  take  kindly  to  thin,  foggy  negatives.  The 
negative  must  be  plucky,  having  points  of  opacity  for  the 
highest  lights,  and  almost  clear  glass  in  the  deepest  shadows, 
with  an  almost  infinite  range  of  tones  between,  if  prints  of  the 
highest  order  are  desired.  Given  such  a  negative,  no  special 
instructions  for  printing  are  needed,  except  to  caution  the 
operator  against  printing  in  direct  sunlight,  save  in  the  case 
of  extremely  hard  negatives.  Print  in  diffused  light,  and  do 
not  take  the  print  from  the  frame  until  it  is  a  shade  or  two 
darker  than  it  is  intended  to  remain,  as  it  reduces  somewhat 
in  the  toning  and  fixing  bath.  If  some  parts  of  the  negative 
print  more  rapidly  than  is  desirable,  they  should  be  masked  by 
cotton  wool  arranged  roughly  to  follow  the  outline  of  the  sub¬ 
ject  to  be  masked. 

The  Printing  Frame. — A  frame  that  is  at  least  one  size 
larger  than  the  negatives  to  be  printed  from  is  a  great  con¬ 
venience.  In  the  first  place,  in  the  larger  frame  the  negative 
will  be  printed  to  the  very  margins  ;  and  in  the  second  place, 
the  larger  frame  will  be  a  great  help  if  it  is  desired  to  vignette 
clouds  upon  the  print  from  another  negative.  A  clear  glass 
plate  of  the  same  size  as  the  frame  may  be  used  to  support 
the  smaller  negative. 

Place  the  negative  in  the  frame,  film  up,  and  upon  it  lay 
the  paper  with  the  sensitive  surface  down,  that  is,  next  to  the 
negative.  Put  the  back  of  the  frame  in  its  place  and  press  it 
down  with  the  springs.  The  frame  is  now  ready  to  be  ex¬ 
posed  to  the  light. 

Clouds  may  be  printed  in  from  a  second  negative  by  masking 
the  sky  of  the  original  negative  with  a  piece  of  card-board,  cut 
in  such  a  way  as  to  follow  the  general  outlines  of  the  horizon; 
when  the  landscape  is  fully  printed  the  paper  and  the  negative 
are  removed  from  the  frame,  and  the  cloud  negative  sub¬ 
stituted,  care  being  taken  to  select  one  harmonizing  with  the 
general  sweep  of  the  lines  of  the  landscape,  and  that  the  light¬ 
ing  of  the  clouds  correspond  with  that  of  the  view.  The 
landscape  is  then  masked  with  a  piece  of  card-board,  roughly 
cut  to  the  horizon  lines,  disregarding  isolated  tree  tops,  etc., 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


35 


projecting  into  the  sky ;  the  mas  tv  is  constantly  moved  np  and 
down  and  sideways  in  order  to  secure  a  proper  blending,  but 
avoiding  getting  it  above  tlie  horizon  line.  As  the  progress  of 
the  printing  is  easily  seen  by  examination,  the  mask  can  be 
manipulated  to  favor  slow  printing  places,  and  to  retard  the 
quicker  ones.*  Many  landscapes  are  improved  by  vignetting, 
a  process  which  often  gives  them  a  delightful  air  of  vagueness 
and  mystery.  In  the  absence  of  a  vignetting  apparatus,  a  very 
fair  makeshift  can  be  made  of  a  piece  of  card-board  having  an 
oval  opening  cut  in  it  somewhat  smaller  than  the  negative.  This 
is  fastened  about  half  an  inch  above  the  negative,  the  opening 
covered  with  a  piece  of  ground  glass  or  tissue,  and  the  printing 
done  as  usual.  I  have  found  that  very  serviceable  vignetters 
can  be  made  of  old  paste-board  boxes,  large  enough  to  cover 
the  printing  frame  ;  the  opening  is  cut  in  the  bottom,  the  sides 
are  cut  down  to  about  two  inches  in  depth,  and  the  printing 
frame  is  covered  with  it. 

Odd-shaped  prints,  such  as  crescents,  crosses,  ovals,  etc.,  are 
easily  produced  by  cutting  an  opening  of  the  size  and  shape 
desired  in  a  piece  of  opaque  paper,  yellow  post-office  paper  is 
good  for  the  purpose,  and  placing  this  over  that  part  of  the 
negative  which  it  is  wished  to  print.  Many  very  pleasing  ef¬ 
fects  can  be  secured  by  this  simple  expedient. 

Printing  Maxims. 

1.  See  that  the  paper  is  perfectly  dry  before  placing  it  on 
the  negative. 

2.  Place  one  or  more  pads  of  thick  felt  over  the  paper,  to 
secure  a  firm  and  even  pressure. 


*  A  very  simple  and  effective  method  of  printing-in  clouds  is  given  in 
“The  Art  and  Practice  of  Silver  Printing.”  The  sky  in  the  landscape 
negative,  if  it  be  weak  or  have  any  defects  as  is  commonly  the  case,  must 
be  blocked  out  with  black  varnish  on  the  glass  side,  the  edge  of  the  varnish 
being  softened  off  where  required  by  dabbing  it  with  a  dabber  made  of 
wash  leather.  When  the  landscape  is  printed,  the  negative  is  removed 
and  the  cloud  negative  substituted  for  it  ;  the  paper  is  then  properly 
adjusted  and  the  whole  frame  is  covered  with  a  piece  of  zinc  or  card¬ 
board  curved  at  one  end.  The  accompanying  cut  will  explain  the  method. 

The  straight  line  is  the  sky  negative,  and  its  junc 
tion  with  the  landscape  is  partly  covered  with  the 
curved  shade.  The  printing  must  be  done  in  diffused  light. 


36 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


3.  Do  not  open  the  back  of  the  frame  to  examine  the  print 
in  a  strong  light. 

4.  Print  in  the  shade,  or  direct  sunshine,  according  to  the 
density  of  the  negative. 

5.  Print  until  the  shadows  just  begin  to  bronze,  if  the  high¬ 
est  lights  do  not  show  more  than  a  faintly  perceptible  tinge  of 
color.  If  they  discolor  badly,  the  negative  will  not  yield  the 
best  results. 

6.  Sensitize  the  paper  on  a  bath  likely  to  give  the  best  re¬ 
sults  with  the  negatives  to  be  printed. 

7.  To  avoid  cockling  of  the  paper  in  the  frame  allow  it  to 
remain  a  few  moments  at  the  same  temperature  and  state  of 
atmospheric  moisture  under  which  the  printing  is  to  be  done  ; 
then  place  in  the  frame. 

8.  When  using  masks,  keep  them  moving. 

9.  In  vignetting,  change  the  position  of  the  frame  occasion¬ 
ally  to  equalize  the  distribution  of  light. 

10.  Examine  the  print  from  the  back  as  little  as  possi¬ 
ble.  Try  to  judge  of  the  progress  of  the  printing  by  the 
amount  of  discoloration  in  the  shadows  visible  through  the 
negative. 

Printing  on  Ready-sensitized  Paper. 

With  the  advent  of  amateur  photography,  methods  were 
sought  for  preparing  sensitized  paper  with  good  keeping  quali¬ 
ties  and  capable  of  yielding  prints  of  as  high  a  grade  of  excel¬ 
lence  as  those  from  freshly-prepared  paper.  No  great  difficulty 
was  experienced  in  conferring  good  keeping  qualities,  but  to 
secure  the  excellence  of  fresh  paper  proved  a  task  of  no  little 
magnitude.  While  I  do  not  believe  that  it  is  possible  without 
much  extra  pains  and  labor  to  secure  as  good  prints  on  the 
ready-sensitized  paper  as  on  the  freshly-floated  sheets,  I 
acknowledge  the  great  convenience  of  having  paper  always 
ready  for  instant  use,  to  strike  oil  a  proof  or  to  make  finished 
prints.  It  is  certainly  possible  to  make  very  beautiful  prints 
on  the  prepared  article  if  one  does  not  care  for  the  darkest 
tones  possible  with  the  fresh  paper. 

The  following  method  of  working  will,  I  believe,  secure  the 
best  results  with  most  of  this  paper.  At  least,  it  has  never 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


37 


failed  in  my  hands,  and  I,  therefore,  recommend  it  with  great 
confidence. 

The  fact  that  it  is  the  method  recommended  by  Mr.  A.  D. 
Fisk  for  the  paper  he  sends  out,  and  that  I  have  found  it  to 
work  equally  well  on  all  other  brands  which  I  have  tried,  in¬ 
duces  me  to  recommend  it  as  a  perfectly  satisfactory  method. 

Two  things  must  he  most  carefully  attended  to  in  using  any 
brand  of  ready-sensitized  paper :  the  free  silver  must  be 
thoroughly  washed  away  after  printing,  and  the  acidity  of  the 
paper  must  be  reduced  by  an  alkali  bath  before  toning. 
Neglect  of  either  of  these*  points  is  to  fail  to  secure  the  best 
possible  results. 

The  following  stock  solutions  are  to  be  made  up,  each  being 
carefully  filtered  before  use  : 


1.  — Gold  chloride,  - 

Distilled  or  boiled  water,  - 

2.  — Sodium  bi-carbonate  (best  English),  - 

Distilled  or  boiled  water,  - 

3.  — Solution  No.  2,  - 

Water,  - 


15  grains. 
7J4  ounces. 
480  grains. 
8  ounces. 
34  ounce. 
12  ounces. 


No.  4. — Toning  Bath. 


Not  to  be  made  up  until  wanted  for  use. 

Solution  No.  1,  ... 

Solution  No.  2,  - 

Distilled  or  boiled  water, 

No.  5. — Fixing-Bath. 

Sodium  hyposulphite,  - 
Sodium  chloride,  ... 

Water,  - 


1  ounce. 
1  ounce. 
5  ounces 


1  ounce. 
24  grains. 
5  ounces 


The  printing  should  be  one  or  two  shades  darker  than  the 
tone  desired  in  the  finished  print.  When  the  printing  is 
finished,  immerse  the  prints,  faces  down,  one  by  one,  in  clean 
water,  being  careful  that  each  print  is  thoroughly  wetted  be¬ 
fore  introducing  another.  Keep  the  prints  in  constant  motion, 
turning  them  over  now  and  then  for  five  minutes.  Pour  off 
the  water  and  add  fresh ;  continue  this  until  there  is  no  further 
trace  of  milkiness  in  the  wash  water.  Place  the  prints  in  solu¬ 
tion  No.  3,  and  allow  them  to  soak  while  you  prepare  the 
toning  bath  No.  4.  When  the  prints  have  soaked  ten  minutes 


38 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


in  No.  3,  transfer  them  to  a  dish  of  clean  water  to  rinse  them 
off.  Then  transfer,  one  by  one,  to  the  toning  bath,  in  which 
they  are  allowed  to  remain  until  they  assume  the  proper  tone, 
being  constantly  turned  to  insure  equal  toning.  Tone  to  a 
purple  or  lilac,  wash  in  two  or  three  changes  of  water,  and 
then  place  them  for  twenty  minutes  in  the  fixing  bath  No.  5  ; 
a  further  immersal  for  ten  minutes  in  a  fresh  fixing  bath  w  ill 
do  them  no  harm.  WPile  in  the  fixing  bath  the  prints  should 
be  turned  occasionally.  The  usual  thorough  washing  for  two 
or  three  hours  must  follow. 

The  toning  bath,  solution  No.  4,  contains  two  grains  of  gold, 
and  will  tone  eight  5x8  prints ;  if  you  have  more  than  that 
number  of  prints  to  tone,  increase  the  proportions  of  No.  4  and 
No.  5  accordingly.  Never  use  the  fixing  or  toning  baths  but 
once. 

The  paper  should  be  fumed  30  minutes. 

The  first  condition  for  a  good  print  is  a  good  negative.  The 
u  Photographic  Times1’  says  that  “the  baths  best  adapted  to 
ready-sensitized  paper  are  those  with  borax,  acetate,  phosphate 
or  tungstate  of  soda,  and  a  compound  solution  of  these  substances 
known  by  the  name  of  French  azotate,”  and  recommends  the 
following  bath : 

Stock  Solution. 

Chloride  of  gold  and  sodium,  -  -  -  15  grains. 

Water,  15  ounces. 

Pour  two  ounces  of  this  into  the  toning  dish,  and  test  with 
litmus  paper,  make  alkaline  with  sodium  bi-carbonate,  and  then 
add  twenty  grains  of  acetate  of  soda  and  eighteen  ounces  of 
water.  Allow  the  bath  to  stand  for  half  an  hour  before  using. 
The  bath  should  have  a  temperature  of  about  65  deg.  Fahr. 

I  can  vouch  for  the  good  results  attainable  with  this  bath, 
which  is  one  eminently  suited  to  cold  weather,  a  time  when 
success  in  toning  is  attended  with  some  difficulty. 

Willis’  Permanent  Silver  Paper. 

Float  the  paper  as  usual.  When  surface  dry,  blot  off  the 

edo-es  and  float  the  reverse  side  for  about  ten  seconds  on  the 

© 

following  solution  : 

Citric  acid,  -----  462  grains. 

Water,  ------  14}£  ounces. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


39 


Dry  thoroughly,  and  store  in  a  dark,  dry  place ;  paper  thus 
prepared  and  kept  will  keep  good  for  at  least  three  months. 

This  same  citric  acid  solution  affords  a  simple  means  of  pre¬ 
serving  paper  which  it  is  desirable  to  keep  for  some  time.  It 
is  only  necessary  to  apply  the  acid  with  a  sponge  to  the  wrong 
side  of  the  paper.  This  method  is  to  be  preferred  to  that  in 
which  the  acid  is  added  to  the  bath,  since  the  acid  does  not 
come  in  contact  with  the  silver,  and  being  washed  away  before 
toning  it  does  not  injure  the  image,  and  toning  is  less  tedious 
than  when  the  acid  is  added  to  the  bath. 

Preserving  Sensitized  Paper. — A  simple  and  effective 
method  of  preserving  ordinary  sensitized  paper  is  to  store  the 
paper  between  sheets  of  blotting  paper  which  have  been  pre¬ 
viously  soaked  in  a  saturated  solution  of  sodium  carbonate 
and  well  dried.  A  deep  printing  frame  forms  a  good  press 
for  the  paper  and  pads.  Paper  thus  protected,  if  it  has  been 
floated  on  a  bath  containing  a  little  alum,  will  keep  good  for 
a  long  time,  and  will  give  as  fine  prints  as  those  made  on 
freshly-prepared  paper,  and  vastly  superior  to  those  made  on 
most  of  the  ready-sensitized  paper  found  in  the  market. 

Defects  in  Silver  Prints. 

[From  “Hardwich’s  Manual  of  Photographic  Chemistry.”] 

1.  The  Print  is  Marbled  and  Streaky. — These  defects  are 
often  seen  before  the  print  is  toned ;  if  so,  reject  the  prints. 
But  more  often  they  are  visible  only  after  the  toning. 
Causes :  a.  The  paper  has  been  badly  albumenized,  the  albu¬ 
men  having  been  allowed  to  drain  off  in  streaks,  b.  The  sen¬ 
sitizing  solution  may  have  drained  off  in  the  same  way  when 
the  paper  was  hung  up  to  dry,  consequently  the  paper  prints 
deeper  where  the  current  of  silver  has  been  running.  It  is 
easy  to  distinguish  between  these  two  causes  of  failure.  In 
the  first,  the  image  is  red  and  faint ;  in  the  second,  it  is  darker 
and  deeper.  Remedies  ’.  For  the  first  case,  reject  the  sample 
of  paper  5  for  the  second,  blot  the  paper  after  sensitizing  and 

before  drying. 

2.  The  Prints  are  Clean  on  the  Surface ,  but  Streaky  when 
Examined  by  Transmitted  Light—  This  is  the  measels  and 
is  sure  to  destroy  the  photograph  within  a  very  short  time. 


40 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


The  appearance  presented  is  that  of  a  series  of  small,  irregular 
yellow  patches.  These  consist  of  sulphide  of  silver  and  lie  in 
the  texture  of  the  paper.  Causes  :  Too  weak  fixing  solution  ; 
imperfect  fixation,  or  a  bad  sample  of  panel*.  The  remedies 
are  obvious. 

3.  The  Print  has  a  Cold  and  Faded  Appearance  when 
Finished. — a.  Too  weak  silver  bath.  b.  Too  short  a  time  of 
floating,  c.  The  negative  has  not  sufficient  contrast,  d.  The 
print  has  been  over-toned.  The  remedies  are  self-evident. 

4.  Spots  on  the  Surface. — Due,  if  white,  to  spots  of  dust 
either  on  the  negative  or  the  paper ;  if  black,  to  pin-hole  in 
the  negative.  Spots  due  to  metallic  particles  in  the  paper  can 
always  be  distinguished  from  all  other  spots,  as  they  have  a 
small  black  nucleus  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  white. 

5.  The  High  Lights  are  Yellow. — Either  a.  The  paper  lias 
become  discolored  through  long  keeping  or  excessive  fuming ; 
or  b.  The  fixing  bath  has  been  acid,  or  the  action  of  a  neutral 
one  continued  too  long. 

6.  Intense  Bronzing  of  the  Shadows  During  Printing. — 
Causes :  a.  Too  strong  a  silver  bath.  b.  Excessive  fuming  ; 
or  c.  Long-continued  printing  from  a  strong  negative. 

7.  Yellow  Spots  on  the  Surface  or  Back  of  the  Prints — 
Caused  by  the  contact  with  hyposulphite  of  soda.  This  salt 
should  not  be  handled  until  the  prints  are  toned. 

Mealiness. — A  name  given  to  the  small  red  or  white  spots 
which  sometimes  cover  the  surface  of  the  prints.  Dust  on 
the  negative  or  the  paper  is  sometimes  the  cause,  but  more 
often  the  fault  is  due  to  the  albumen.  Paper  which  gives 
mealy  prints  should  be  returned  to  the  dealer. 

The  Print  Refuses  to  Tone. — Causes :  a.  Poor  paper,  b. 
Long  keeping  of  the  print  before  toning,  c.  The  toning  bath 
has  been  kept  too  long  and  lost  its  strength.  In  this  case  add 
more  gold,  or,  better  still,  make  up  a  new  bath. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


41 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TONING,  FIXING  AND  WASHING. 

Ho.  1. — Stock  Solution. 

A. — Chloride  of  gold,  -  1  grain. 

Water,  -  -  -  -  -  20  ounces. 

B.  — Acetate  of  soda,  -  -  -  -  15  grains. 

Water,  ------  1  ounce. 

C.  — Saturated  solution  of  sulphate  of  copper. 

When  solution  is  complete,  add  B  to  A,  and  add  10-15  drops 
of  C,  allow  to  stand  at  least  24  hours  before  using.  Tone  only 
until  the  half  tones  are  somewhat  bluish  by  reflected  light. 

This  bath  will  keep. 

Ho.  2. — For  Brown  Tones. 

Chloride  of  gold,  -  .  -  -  1  or  2  grains. 

Acetate  of  soda,  -  -  -  -  60  grains. 

Water  -  -  -  -  -  -  36  ounces. 

Allow  the  solution  to  stand  one  hour,  then  add  enough  of  a 
saturated  solution  of  sodium  bicarbonate  to  make  the  bath  alka¬ 
line.  Tone  till  the  lights  assume  a  delicate  lilac  tint.  This 
bath  will  not  keep. 

Ho.  3. — Foe  Black,  Velvety  Tones. 


Water,  ------  ®  ounces. 

Acetate  of  soda,  -  -  -  -  -  15  grains. 

Chloride  of  sodium  ...  -  15  grains. 

Nitrate  of  uranium,  1  grain. 

Chloride  of  gold,  -  1 


Dissolve  the  acetate  and  chloride  first.  Dissolve  the  uranium 
in  one  ounce  of  water,  and  neutralize  with  bicarbonate  of  soda 
solution  5  then  add  it  to  the  acetate  and  chloride  solution. 
Heutralize  the  gold  with  bicarbonate  and  add  it  to  the  bath. 
Test  for  alkalinity;  if  not  alkaline,  add  enough  bicarbonate 
solution  to  make  it  so.  Allow  it  to  stand  some  houis  before 
using.  Print  deep  and  tone  well.  Will  keep. 


42 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


No.  4. — For  Purple  and  Black  Tones. 

Water  ------  30  ounces. 

Gold, . 3  grains. 

Add  a  few  drops  of  a  saturated  solution  of  carbonate  of 
soda.  Print  deeply,  and  tone  to  color  desired.  Heady  for  in¬ 
stant  use,  but  does  not  keep. 

No.  5. 

Chloride  of  gold,  ...  -  1  grain. 

Tungstate  of  soda,  -  -  -  -  20  grains. 

Boiling  water,  -----  8  ounces. 

Ready  for  use,  as  soon  as  cold.  Keeps  well. 

No.  6. — For  Rich  Purple  Tones. 

Phosphate  of  soda,  -  -  -  -  300  grains 

Chloride  of  gold,  -  15  grains. 

Water,  ------  30  ounces. 

Ready  for  instant  use  ;  but  does  not  keep  well. 

No.  7. — Platinum  Bath. 

Bichloride  of  platinum  solutidn,  -  -  30  drops. 

Hypo,  ------  3  grains. 

Hydrochloric  acid  (C.  P.),  -  -  -  5  drops. 

Water,  -  -  •  -  -  -  -  5  ounces. 

The  platinum  solution  is  made  by  dissolving  enough  of  the 
salt  in  one  ounce  of  water  to  give  it  a  rich,  sherry  color,  a  few 
grains  will  suffice.  This  bath  is  slow,  but  good.  It  should  be 
warmed  to  70  deg.  Fahr.,  and  the  free  silver  should  be  well 
washed  out  of  the  prints. 

No.  8. — Borax  Bath. 

Chloride  of  gold,  ...  -  15  grains. 

Borax,  ------  180  grains. 

Boiling  water,  ...  -  35  ounces. 

Ready  for  use  when  cooled  down  to  60  deg.  Fahr.  Gives  rich 
brown  tones,  and  keeps  well.  An  excellent  bath  for  ready- 
sensitized  paper. 

No.  9. — For  Sepia  and  Black  Tones. 

Chloride  of  gold,  ...  -  2  grains. 

Sat.  sol.  chloride  lime,  -  -  -  -  2  drops. 

Chalk  (precipitated)  ...  -  3  grains. 

Boiling  water,  -  -  -  -  -  16  ounces. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


43 


The  chloride  of  lime  solution  is  made  by  shaking  a  teaspoon¬ 
ful  of  the  chloride  in  a  pint-bottle  full  of  water.  When  the 
solids  have  settled,  decant  the  clear  portion,  which  should  be 
kept  in  the  dark. 

Allow  the  bath  to  stand  at  least  a  day  before  using.  It  im¬ 
proves  with  age. 

For  sepia,  tone  but  very  little,  just  off  the  red ;  for  a  black, 
tone  to  a  deep  purple. 

No.  10. — Equal  volumes  of  No.  5  and  No,  8. 

No.  11. — Charles  W.  Hearn’s  Toning  Baths. 

With  Sal  Soda. 

A. — Distilled  or  ice  water,  .  -  -  64  ounces. 

Acid  sol.  of  chlo.  of  gold  (4  grs.  to  1  oz)  -  1  ounce. 

Saturated  solution  of  sal  soda,  -  -  14  ounce. 

Should  be  prepared  one-half  hour  before  use. 

No.  12. — With  Chloride  of  Lime. 

B —Water,  -----  40  ounces. 

Chloride  of  lime,  -  -  -  -  5  grains. 

Chloride  of  gold,  -  -  -  4  grains. 

If  the  chloride  of  gold  is  acid,  it  may  be  neutralized  with 
carbonate  of  lime. 

No.  13. — With  Citric  Acid. 


A.  — Citric  acid,  -  4  ounce. 

Water, . 20  ounces. 

B.  — Chloride  of  gold,  .  -  -  15  grains. 

Water, . 15  ounces. 


Stock  Solution. 

Take  of  A  two  and  one-half  ounces,  and  make  slightly  al¬ 
kaline  with  saturated  solution  of  bicarbonate  of  soda  ;  of  B 
one-half  ounce  and  sixty-four  ounces  of  water. 

When  ready  to  tone  take  sufficient  of  the  stock  solution, 
which  should  never  be  less  than  three  or  four  days  old,  and 
add  thereto  one  ounce  of  gold  solution  B ;  make  alkaline  with 

bicarbonate  of  soda. 

No.  14. — The  Photographic  Times  Toning  Bath. 

Into  seven  and  one-half  ounces  of  water  put  seven  and  one- 
half  grains  chloride  of  gold  and  sodium.  Label  the  bottle 


44 


PHOTOGKAPIIIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


containing  the  mixture,  Chloride  of  Gold  Solution.  Combine 
six  ounces  of  water  with  one  ounce  of  French  azotate,  to 
which  add  one  and  one-half  ounce  of  the  chloride  of  gold 
solution. 

No.  15. — The  Chautauqua  Toning  Bath. 

Dissolve  fifteen  grains  of  chloride  of  gold  and  sodium  in 
fifteen  ounces  of  water.  Take  of  this  solution  three  ounces, 
pour  it  in  the  toning  dish,  test  for  acidity  with  litmus  paper, 
and  neutralize  with  bicarbonate  of  soda,  and  add  thirty  grains 
of  acetate  of  soda  and  thirty  ounces  of  water.  Prepare  the 
solution  an  hour  before  using  it. 

If  warm  tones  are  wanted,  add  a  little  acetic  acid  to  the  first 
washing  water. 

For  this  bath  the  sensitizing  silver  should  be  neutral,  for 
which  purpose  a  small  portion  of  carbonate  of  silver  should  be 
kept  in  the  silver  stock  bottle. 

No.  16. — Spaulding’s  Toning  Bath. 

Stock  Solution. 

Water,  -  -  -  -  -  15  ounces. 

Gold  chloride  ....  15  grains. 

To  make  up  a  toning  bath  for  twenty  cabinet  size  prints, 

take 

Water  ......  10  ounces. 

Soda  bicarbonate,  ....  3  grains. 

Common  salt,  .....  6  grains. 

Stock  solution  of  gold,  ...  3  ounces. 

No.  17. — The  Price  Formula. 

Into  seven  and  one-half  ounces  of  water  dissolve  fifteen 
grains  chloride  of  gold  and  sodium,  then  add  to  it  300  grains 
of  acetate  of  soda  and  seven  drops  of  a  saturated  solution  of 
chloride  of  lime. 

This  stock  solution  should  be  prepared  at  least  twenty-four 
hours  before  being  used.  Take  one-half  ounce  of  it  and  mix 
with  seven  ounces  of  water. 

No.  IS. — For  Sepia  Tones. 

A. — Carbonate  of  potash,  ....  1  ounce. 

Water.  ......  4  ounces. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


45 


B.— Gold  chloride,  -  -  ,  .  -  15  grains. 

Water, . .  7^  drams. 

Solution  A,  after  mixing  and  well  stirring,  is  allowed  to 
stand  until  clear,  when  it  is  filtered  and  bottled  for  stock. 
When  wanted  for  use,  add  to  ten  ounces  of  water  one  dram  of 
A  and  twenty  drops  of  B.  This  will  tone  one  sheet  and  gives 
a  warm  sepia.  The  bath  will  keep. 

No.  19. — Equal  parts  of  No.  6  and  No.  18.  This  is  a  grand 
bath  for  rich  warm  tones,  but  it  will  not  keep  well. 

No.  20. — For  resinized,  gelatinized,  leatherized,  and  plain 
paper  : 

Stock  Solution. 

Gold  chloride  -----  15  grains. 

Water,  ------  drams. 

To  make  the  bath,  add  two  drams  of  the  gold  solution 
neutralized  with  a  pinch  of  chalk,  to  ten  ounces  of  hot  water. 
Place  two  drams  of  acetate  of  soda  in  a  quart  bottle,  and  filter 
the  above  solution  into  it;  make  the  bulk  up  to  twenty 
ounces.  This  bath  can  be  used  in  a  few  hours,  but  it  improves 
by  keeping. 

When  commencing  to  tone,  place  a  few  ounces  of  water  in 
the  dish,  and  add  an  equal  quantity  of  the  above  solution. 
When  the  toning  action  begins  to  fail  add  more  of  the  solution. 

This  is  the  bath  recommended  by  Mr.  Henry  Cooper,  the 
originator  of  the  resin  process,  and  it  will  be  found  a  very 
good  bath  for  fine  work. 

No.  21. - SuLPHO-CYANIDE  OF  AMMONIUM. 

Chloride  of  gold,  -  -  -  -  1  grain. 

Sulphocyanide  of  ammonium,  20  grains. 

Water,  -----  >  2  ounces. 

General  Directions. 

No  very  definite  instructions  can  be  given  in  regard  to  the 
actual  operation  of  toning  the  prints.  It  may  be  laid  down  as 
a  general  rule  with  most  tcning  baths  that  the  free  nitrate  of 
silver  should  be  well  washed  out,  and  that  the  proper  amount 
of  gold  solution  needed  to  tone  the  prints  in  hand,  must  be 
neutralized  with  precipitated  chalk.  One  grain  of  gold  is  con¬ 
sidered  sufficient  to  tone  one  sheet  of  paper,  except  in  the  case 


40 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


of  ready-sensitized  paper,  which  requires  two  grains  at  least  to 
the  sheet. 

When  ready  to  begin  toning,  place  the  prints  one  by  one  into 
the  bath,  face  down  ;  do  not  try  to  tone  more  than  six  prints  at 
a  time,  unless  you  are  using  a  large  amount  of  toning  solution. 
Keep  the  prints  in  constant  motion,  turning  them  over 
occasionally,  and  keeping  careful  watch  over  the  progress  of 
toning.  If  you  wish  the  warm  tones,  sepia,  brown  and  purple, 
remove  the  prints  as  soon  as  they  show  a  lilac  or  purple  tinge 
in  the  half  tones.  For  black,  tone  till  the  prints  appear  some¬ 
what  bluish,  then  remove,  and  wash  in  two  or  three  changes 
of  water  before  fixing. 

Remarks  on  the  General  Composition  of  Toning 

Baths. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  in  all  the  formulae  for  toning  solutions 
an  alkali  of  one  kind  or  another  is  added  to  the  gold. 

This  was  not  the  practice  of  the  early  practitioners.  Sulphur 
was  the  agent  first  used  for  imparting  a  pleasing  color  to  silver 
prints,  but  the  fugitiveness  of  the  tones  imparted  by  sulphur 
led  to  a  search  for  other  toning  agents,  and  sulphur  was  soon 
discarded  in  favor  of  gold.  Chloride  of  gold  was  added  to  the 
usual  hyposulphite  of  soda  fixing  bath.  This  process  was 
simplicity  itself.  The  prints  were  immersed  in  the  combined 
toning  and  fixing  bath  immediately  after  leaving  the  printing 
frame,  no  preliminary  washing  being  necessary.  The  first  ac¬ 
tion  of  the  bath  was  to  dissolve  the  unchanged  silver  salts, 
and  to  leave  the  image  of  the  red  color  seen  in  a  well-washed 
print.  The  red  color  soon  passed  into  a  blue  or  black  and  the 
toning  was  complete. 

It  was  soon  found,  however,  that  the  tone  thus  produced  was 
due  partly  to  a  deposit  of  gold  and  partly  to  the  communica¬ 
tion  of  sulphur.  The  older  the  bath,  the  more  fugitive  the 
tints,  for  the  reason  that  a  freshly  mixed  bath  toned  the  prints 
by  a  deposit  of  gold,  while  an  old  bath  toned  by  sulphuration. 
Hence,  the  Sel  d’Or  bath,  as  the  mixed  bath  was  termed,  was 
soon  discarded  in  favor  of  alkaline  solutions  of  chloride  of  gold, 
first  introduced  under  the  name  of  Sutton’s  alkaline  toning  bath. 
The  philosophy  of  the  addition  of  an  alkali  to  the  gold  solution 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


47 


is  that  an  aqueous  solution  of  gold  deposits  the  metal  on  the 
surface  of  the  print  too  rapidly  to  give  a  pleasing  tone. 

Hardwich’s  theory  is  that  the  addition  of  an  alkali  to  a 
solution  of  chloride  of  gold  forms  an  oxide  of  gold  which 
possesses  no  toning  power,  but  which  being  decomposed  by  the 
excess  of  chloride  of  gold,  enables  a  larger  quantity  of  the 
metal  to  be  thrown  down  without  injury  to  the  print  from  com¬ 
munication  of  chlorine. 

But  the  whole  subject  is  involved  in  too  much  difficulty  to 
allow  any  theory  to  gain  universal  acceptance.  One  thing,  how¬ 
ever,  is  certain,  viz.,  that  it  is  not  a  matter  of  indifference 
what  alkali  is  added  since  the  more  the  action  is  retarded,  the 
more  ruby  color  becomes  the  deposit  of  gold.  This  is  the 
reason  why  some  alkalis  give  purple  tones,  while  others  give 
black. 

Much  more  might  be  written  on  this  interesting  subject,  but 
enough  has  been  said  to  give  the  operator  an  intelligent  idea  of 
the  action  of  the  toning  bath,  and  of  the  reasons  for  the  ad¬ 
ditions  commonly  made  to  it. 

A  bath  weak  in  gold,  because  slower  in  its  action,  is  to  be 
preferred  to  the  more  concentrated  one  usually  employed. 

The  slowness  of  the  action  produces  a  more  even  and  firm 
deposit  of  gold  and  gives  tones  which  will  suffer  little  if  any 
change  during  fixing. 

In  this  subject  so  good  an  authority  as  Mr.  Andrew  Pringle 
writes  :  “  All  processes  of  deposition  of  one  substance  upon 
another  are  more  completely  performed  slowly  than  quickly. 

*  *  *  *  g0  jn  toning,  I  take  it  that  we  shall  have  a 

more  complete  deposit  of  metallic  gold  if  we  tone  slowly  by 
using  a  solution  not  too  strong  in  gold  chloride.”  And  Prof. 

W.  K.  Burton  states  that  the  more  gold  the  image  can  be 
made  to  take,  the  better  and  more  permanent  the  result.  A 
rich  deposit  of  gold  is  more  surely  given  by  slow  toning  than 
by  the  quicker  method  commonly  used. 

The  Fixing  Bath.  • 

Its  Purpose. — The  fixing  bath  is  used  to  dissolve  out  all  the 
unchanged  silver,  which,  even  after  toning,  would  darken  on  ex¬ 
posure  to  light. 


\ 


48 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Its  Composition— The  following  is  the  best  formula  known 
to  me : 


4  ounces, 
20  ounces. 
^  dram. 


Hyposulphite  of  soda, 
Water, 

Ammonia, 


The  ammonia  serves  a  three-fold  purpose :  it  prevents  the 
possibility  of  an  acid  reaction,  softens  the  albumen  film,  thus 
shortening  the  operation  of  fixing,  and  it  has  a  tendency  to  pre¬ 
vent  blistering.  One  ounce  of  solid  hyposulphite  will  fix  three 
sheets  of  paper. 

How  long  to  Fix.— The  length  of  time  required  for  complete 
fixation  varies  somewhat  with  difterent  brands  of  paper ;  from 
15  to  20  minutes  is  about  right ;  and  in  order  to  be  on  the  safe 
side,  it  is  well  to  place  the  prints  for  ten  minutes  in  a  fresh  bath 
to  dissolve  out  the  hyposulphite  of  silver  formed  in  the  first. 


Maxims  for  Toning  and  Fixing. 


1.  Have  your  toning  solution  slightly  alkaline,  and  at  a  tem¬ 
perature  of  about  60  deg.  Fahr. 

2.  Tone  to  sepia,  purple,  or  blue,  according  as  warm,  brown, 
or  black  prints  are  desired. 

3.  Keep  the  prints  in  constant  motion  in  both  toning  and 
fixing  baths,  avoiding  air  bubbles. 

4.  Make  the  fixing  bath  alkaline  with  ammonia. 

5.  Use  a  fresh  fixing  bath  for  each  batch  of  prints,  and  pass 
the  prints  through  two  fixing  baths. 

6.  Wash  thoroughly  after  toning. 

7.  Do  not  try  to  fix  more  than  three  sheets  of  paper  with 
one  ounce  of  hypo  crystals. 


Washing. 


The  final  washing  must  be  most  thorough.  Whatever  may 
be  the  true  explanation  of  the  fading  of  silver  prints,  it  is  cer¬ 
tain  that  permanency  is  promoted  by  a  liberal  deposit  of  gold, 
complete  fixation,  and  thorough  washing. 

I  know  of  no  better  method  of  washing  the  prints  than  that 
of  allowing  them  to  soak  in  a  pan  of  clean  water  for  two  or 
three  hours,  taking  them  out  one  at  a  time  every  fifteen  minutes, 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


49 


allowing  them  to  drain  a  moment  or  two  from  one  corner,  and 
then  place  them  in  another  pan  of  clean  water.  It  is  a  good 
plan  also  to  lay  the  prints  face  uppermost  on  pieces  of  glass  and 
then  to  give  them  a  good  sponging,  using  plenty  of  clean 
water.  If  this  is  done  two  or  three  times,  and  the  prints 
changed  every  fifteen  minutes,  two  or  three  hours’  washing  will 
eliminate  nearly  all  traces  of  hypo.  They  should  then  be  tested 
for  hypo,  using  the  following  test  solution  : 


Permanganate  of  potash 
Carbonate  of  potash 
Water 


2  grains. 
20  grains. 
40  ounces. 


A  few  drops  of  this  solution  should  be  added  to  a  pint  of  the 
last  wash  water ;  if  any  hypo  is  present  the  rose  color  of  the 
original  solution  will  change  to  a  greenish  hue.  If  this  test 
detects  hyposulphite,  the  prints  may  be  immersed  for  a  few 
moments  in  the  following  hypochlorite  solution. 


Stock  Solution. 

Eau  de  Javelle. 

Dry  chi.  of  lime  (hypo  chi.  of  lime),  -  .  2  ounces 

Carbonate  of  potash . 4  ounces.' 

Water- . 40  ounces. 

Mix  the  chloride  of  lime  with  30  ounces  of  the  water .  dis¬ 
solve  the  carbonate  of  potash  in  the  remainder.  Mix,  boil  and 
filter. 

To  use .  to  one  ounce  of  the  stock  solution  add  twenty  ounces 
of  water.  Soak  the  prints  for  ten  minutes  in  this  dilute  solu¬ 
tion,  and  then  wash  for  fifteen  minutes.  The  prints  are  now 
reasonably  certain  to  be  free  from  mounting,  and  will  have  as 
high  a  degree  of  permanence  as  can  be  given  to  silver  prints. 

A  limited  number  may  be  washed  well  enough  in  a  tray. 
Eock  the  tray  occasionally  or  move  them  by  continually  slip¬ 
ping  out  the  bottom  one  and  placing  it  upon  the  top.  The 
water  should  be  changed  seven  or  eight  times,  and  during  the 
earlier  part  of  the  process  the  changes  should  be  more  frequent 
than  during  the  latter  part.  A  thorough  elimination  of  the 
fixing  solution  is  essential  to  the  permanence  of  the  photo- 
graph.  There  is  little  danger,  therefore,  of  continuing  the 


50 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


washing  too  long.  Some  even  allow  water  to  run  over  the 
prints  all  night.  It  is  supposed  by  many,  however,  that  an 
excessively  prolonged  soaking  in  water  weakens  the  print. 

The  Hypochlorite  of  Zinc  Hypo  Eliminator. 

This  eliminator,  a  favorite  one  with  German  and  Austrian 
photographers,  is  now  an  article  of  trade  under  the  name  of 
Flandreau’s  S.  P.  C.  Hypo  Eliminator.  Accompanying  the 
package  as  purchased  of  the  stockdealer,  is  a  packet  of  iodide 
of  starch,  of  dark  purple  color,  which,  when  brought  into  con¬ 
tact  with  prints,  or  the  water  dripping  from  them,  will  bleach 
immediately  if  only  a  trace  of  hyposulphite  be  present. 

To  remove  these  last  traces  of  the  obnoxious  salt,  a  table¬ 
spoonful  of  Flandreau’s  S.  P.  C.  Hypo  Eliminator,  added  to 
one  quart  of  the  last  washing  water,  and  allowing  the  prints  to 
remain  therein  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  rinsing  them  off 
again  with  pure  water,  will  effect  a  thorough  elimination,  with¬ 
out  which  albumenized  paper  prints  will  always  be  liable  to 
turn  yellow  or  to  fade. 

The  eliminator  should  not  be  used  in  large  proportions,  as 
by  too  strong  solutions  the  whole  silver  deposit  might  suffer. 

Rules  for  Printing  and  Toning  in  Cold  Weather. 

1.  Sensitize  on  a  silver  bath  sixty-five  grains  strong. 

2.  Keep  the  silver  and  toning  baths  at  a  temperature  of 
70  deg.  Fahr. 

3.  Before  silvering,  bring  the  paper  to  about  the  same  tem¬ 
perature  as  the  bath. 

4.  Dry  the  paper  thoroughly  before  and  after  fuming. 

5.  Fume  thirty  to  sixty  minutes. 

7.  Warm  the  negative  and  pads  before  printing. 

8.  Do  not  print  in  the  cold  outer  air. 

9.  Have  the  wash  water  and  fixing  solution  at  the  same 
temperature  as  the  silver  and  toning  baths. 

Observance  of  these  rules  will  insure  plucky  and  well-toned 
prints  in  the  coldest  weather. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


51 


CHAPTER  V. 


PRINTING  ON  OTHER  THAN  ALBUMEN  PAPER. 


As  there  are  many  who  dislike  the  gloss  of  albumen  prints,  a 
brief  deseription  of  other  papers  is  given. 

Printing  on  Plain  Paper. 


Prints  on  plain  paper  form  a  good  basis  on  which  to  color. 
The  two  most  common  formulae  are  the  following : 


1.  — Chloride  of  ammonium, 

Citrate  of  soda,  - 
Chloride  of  sodium,  - 
Gelatine,  - 
Distilled  water, 

2.  — Chloride  of  ammonium,  - 

Gelatine, 

Water,  - 


60  to  80  grains. 
100  grains. 

20  to  30  grains, 
10  grains. 

10  ounces. 

100  grains. 

10  grains. 

10  ounces. 


First  swell  the  gelatine  in  cold  water,  then  dissolve  by  heat 
in  the  ten  ounces  of  water,  adding  the  salts.  The  solution 
is  then  filtered  and  the  paper  floated  on  it  for  three  minutes. 
Sensitize  on  a  sixty-grain  bath  of  silver  nitrate.  Print  deep, 
and  wash,  tone  and  fix  as  for  albumen  paper.  Toning  bath  No. 
20  is  especially  adapted  for  plain  paper.  Avoid  over-toning. 

Excellent  prints  may  be  made  on  drawing  paper  by  this 
method. 


Printing  on  Resinized  Paper. 

The  term  resinized  has  been  given  to  paper  coated  with 
resins  in  place  of  albumen.  Such  paper  gives  prints  of  wonder¬ 
ful  softness  and  delicacy,  and  tones  easily.  The  process 
deserves  more  attention  than  it  has  yet  received.  Three  for- 
mulse  are  given,  of  which  I  would  especially  recommend  No. 
3  for  the  soft  and  delicately  graded  tints  it  gives. 

No.  1. — Bertrand’s. 

Immerse  plain  paper  for  three  minutes  in  the  following 
solution  : 


52 

PHOTOGRAPHIC 

PRINTING 

METHODS. 

Alcohol, 

Benzoin, 

Chloride 

of  cadmium, 

- 

20  ounces. 
2  ounces. 
1  ounce. 

When  dry,  sensitize  on  a  sixty-grain  bath.  Print  deep,  well 
wash,  and  tone  in  bath  No.  21.  Fix  and  wash  as  for  albumen. 

No.  2. — Mr.  Henry  Cooper’s. 

Frankincense,  -----  10  grains, 

Mastic,  -----  8  grains. 

Chloride  of  calcium,  -  -  -  -  5  to  10  grains. 

Alcohol,  -----  1  ounce. 

The  paper  is  immersed  in  this  solution  and  hung  up  to  dry. 
When  dry  it  is  smoothed  with  a  hot  iron  and  sensitized  as 
usual ;  sensitizing  bath  No.  5  is  the  one  recommended  by  Mr. 
Cooper.  The  prints  which  should  be  deep  are  best  toned  on 
bath  No.  20. 

No.  3. — Mr.  Henry  Cooper’s. 

Coat  the  paper  with  an  emulsion  prepared  as  follows  : 

Dissolve  three  ounces  of  fresh  white  lac  in  twenty  ounces  of 
strong  alcohol ;  filter  or  decant,  and  add  as  much  water  as 
possible  without  precipitating  the  lac ;  dissolve  one  ounce  of 
the  best  white  gelatine  in  twenty  ounces  of  boiling  water,  first 
swelling  the  gelatine  in  cold  water.  When  the  gelatine  is 
dissolved,  add  the  lac  solution,  stirring  vigorously.  In  case 
the  gelatine  is  precipitated  by  the  alcohol,  add  more  hot  water. 

The  paper  is  to  be  immersed  in  this  emulsion  for  three  min¬ 
utes,  or  it  may  be  floated  on  it  for  the  same  length  of  time. 
When  dry,  smooth  with  a  hot  iron,  and  float  for  two  minutes 
on  the  following  solution  : 

Chloride  of  ammonium,  -  10  grains. 

Lactate  of  magnesium,  ...  10  grains. 

Water,  ------  1  ounce. 

When  again  dry,  sensitize  on  a  sixty  grain  bath,  and  print 
deep.  If  the  prints  are  not  vigorous  enough,  immerse  them  in 
the  following  bath  : 

Citric  acid,  -----  5  grains. 

White  sugar,  -----  5  grains. 

Water,  ------  1  ounce. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


53 


This  bath  improves  with  use.  Toning  bath  No.  20  works 
well  with  this  paper. 

Either  of  these  processes  give  fine  results  on  drawing  paper. 

Kesmized  paper  should  be  fumed  until  the  paper  prints  blue, 
fifteen  to  twenty  minutes  is  sufficient.  Over-toning  must  be 
avoided. 

Printing  on  Leatherized  and  Gelatinized  Papers. 

Very  fine  mat  surface  prints  can  be  made  on  a  salted  paper 
known  as  leatherized  paper.  It  is  a  strong,  fine  surfaced 
paper  and  comes  ready  salted.  It  should  be  floated  thirty 
seconds  on  a  bath  forty-five  to  sixty  grains  in  strength,  and 
fumed  until  it  prints  blue.  Print  rather  deeply,  thoroughly 
wash  away  the  free  nitrate,  and  tone  on  bath  No.  20.  °The 
toning  should  not  be  carried  too  far,  or  weak  prints  will  be 
the  result. 

Gelatinized  Paper. — This  is  the  name  which  I  have  given 
to  paper  floated  two  to  three  minutes  on  a  gelatine  solution, 
then  dried,  and  floated  two  minutes  on  the  lactate  of  magne¬ 
sium  and  chloride  of  ammonium  bath  given  above.  When 
the  papei  is  again  dry  it  is  floated  two  to  three  minutes  on 
a  silver  bath,  forty-five  to  sixty  grains  strong,  and  fumed  for 
fifteen  to  twenty  minutes. 

The  printing  should  be  deep,  the  free  nitrate  well  washed 
out,  and  the  prints  toned  on  bath  No.  20.  The  resulting 
prints  are  lemarkable  for  softness,  delicacy  of  gradation,  and 
beauty  of  tone. 

As  I  have  never  seen  the  process  described,  I  venture  to  re¬ 
commend  it  only  after  a  thorough  trial. 

The  gelatine  bath  is  compounded  as  follows  : 


Gelatine,  - 

Chrome  alum  solution  (1  to  50), 

Water,  - 


10  grains. 
10  drops. 
.1  ounce. 


When  solution  is  complete,  filter  and  float  plain  paper  on 
the  bath  for  two  minutes,  avoiding  air  bubbles.  Prints  made 
on  paper  thus  prepared  cannot  be  distinguished  from  those 
made  on  resinized  paper,  and  it  has  the  advantage  of  requiring 
a  smaller  number  of  chemicals. 


54 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


With  it  the  prints  can  be  given  a  tone  closely  resembling 
the  best  work  on  bromide  of  silver  paper,  and  by  using  draw¬ 
ing-paper  very  artistic  results  may  be  obtained. 

I  have  recommended  toning  bath  No.  20  for  these  rarely 
used  processes  for  the  reason  that  they  all  need  but  little  ton¬ 
ing,  and  this  bath  is  so  weak  in  gold  that  there  is  little  danger 
of  over-toning.  Any  other  bath,  however,  can  be  used  with 
good  success  if  it  is  made  weak  in  gold. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


55 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  PLATIJiOTYPE. 

This  is  the  most  recent  advance  in  printing  with  iron  salts. 
The  process  was  worked  out  by  Mr.  W.  Willis,  Jr.,  and  has 
been  made  the  subject  of  a  patent.  The  Willis  process  can  be 
worked  only  by  licensees,  although  I  believe  that  the  ready- 
sensitized  paper  is  supplied  by  the  agents  in  this  country  to  all 
who  order  it.  But  it  is  possible  to  work  the  platinum  process 
without  taking  out  a  license,  and  I  therefore  give  details  which 
will  enable  any  one  to  prepare  his  own  paper.  The  directions 
are  condensed  from  a  pamphlet  published,  in  Vienna,  in  1882,  by 
Pizzeghilli  and  Hubl.  Plain  paper,  of  an  even,  firm  texture, 
is  sized  by  floating  for  two  or  three  minutes  on  one  of  the  fol¬ 
lowing  solutions : 

Sizing  for  Platinum  Prints. 

Water,  -  -  -  20  ounces. 

Gelatine,  -  -  -  -  60  grains. 

Chrome  alum,  ...  6  grains. 

Aniline  blue  (powered),  -  -  10  to  20  drops. 

The  gelatine  is  soaked  in  the  water  for  one  hour,  and  then 
dissolved  with  gentle  heat.  When  nearly  cool  the  chrome 
alum  and  the  aniline  blue  are  added  and  the  solution  filtered. 
The  prints  to  be  sized  are  floated  or  immersed  a  short  time  in 
this  solution; 

No.  1. — For  Bluish-black  Tones. 

Gelatine,  -----  154  grains. 

Alum,  ------  46  grains. 

Alcohol,  -----  7  ounces. 

Water,  -  -  -  -  -  28  ounce*. 

The  gelatine  is  first  soaked  in  the  water  until  soft,  and  then 
dissolved  at  a  temperature  of  140  deg.  Fahr.  When  solution  is 
complete  the  alum  and  alcohol  are  added,  and  the  liquid  filtered. 


56 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


No.  2. — For  Brownish-black  Tones. 

Arrow-root,  .....  154  grains. 

Boiling  water,  ....  28  ounces. 

Alcohol,  .  ....  7  ounces. 

Tlie  arrow  root  is  first  rubbed  up  in  cold  water,  and  added 
to  the  boiling  water ;  then  the  alcohol  is  poured  in  and  the 
solution  filtered. 

In  order  to  secure  an  even  coating,  it  is  best  to  refloat  the 
paper  when  dry,  and  suspend  the  reverse  way. 

No.  1. — Stock  Solutions. 

Chloro-platinite  of  potassium,  -  -  80  grains. 

Water,  -  -  ...  1  ounce. 

No.  2. — Ferric  oxalate  solution  as  found  in  the  trade. 

If  the  solution  gives  a  precipitate  with  red  prussiate  of  pot¬ 
ash,  or  becomes  turbid  when  boiled  with  ten  times  its  bulk  of 
water,  it  should  be  rejected. 

[Note. — The  author  has  never  experienced  any  difficulty  in 
procuring  ferric  oxalate  of  Eimer  &  Amend,  205  to  211 
Third  Avenue,  New  York,  but  for  the  convenience  of  those 
who  may  wish  to  prepare  it  for  themselves,  methods  for  mak¬ 
ing  both  the  potassic  ferric  oxalate  and  the  ferric  oxalate  are 
given. 

Potassic  Ferric  Oxalate. — Add  neutral  oxalate  of  potas¬ 
sium  to  chloride  of  iron  solution  and  evaporate  to  crystalliza¬ 
tion.  The  resulting  crystals  are  the  salt  required. 

Ferric  Oxalate. — This  salt  may  he  obtained  by  dissolving 
hydrated  peroxide  of  iron  in  a  strong  solution  of  oxalic  acid. 

Pizzeghilli  recommends  the  following  method  : 

“  Five  hundred  parts  of  ferric  chloride  are  dissolved  in 
water  and  precipitated  by  an  excess  of  caustic  soda ;  after 
which  the  precipitate  is  well  washed,  and  collected  on  a  cloth. 
When  the  bulk  of  the  water  has  run  through,  the  material  is 
poured  from  the  filter,  and  200  parts  of  pure  crystallized  oxalic 
acid  is  added  ;  but  this  addition  should  be  made  in  the  dark,  and 
the  whole  is  allowed  tQ  remain  at  a  temperature  of  30  deg. 
C.  for  some  days,  in  order  that  solution  may  be  complete. 


I 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS.  57 

The  liquid  being  now  made  up,  if  required,  to  the  volume  of 
2,800  parts  of  water,  a  liquor  is  obtained  which  contains  about 
one-fifth  of  its  weight  of  ferric  oxalate.”] 


No.  3. — Chlorate  of  Iron  Solution. 


Solution  No.  2,  - 

Chlorate  of  potash,  .... 

N.  Sensitizing  Solutions. 

No.  1, 

No.  2, 

Water,  -  ... 


3i  ounces. 
6  grains. 


408  drops. 
374  drops. 
68  drops. 


B  gives  more  vigorous  prints  than  A ;  good  for  thin 
negatives  : 


No.  1, 
No.  2, 
No.  3, 
Water, 


408  drops. 
306  drops. 
68  drops. 
68  drops. 


The  paper  to  be  sensitized  should  be  fastened  to  a  board  by 
drawing  tacks,  and  one  of  Solutions  A  or  B  evenly  spread  over 
it  with  a  squeegee  muffled  in  flannel,  or  a  large  brush,  carefully 
av  oiding  stieaks.  The  sensitizing  should  be  done  by  yellow  or 
feeble  white  light.  As  soon  as  the  surface  is  dry,  the  sensitized 
sheets  must  be  dried  thoroughly  at  a  temperature  of  86  to  100 
deg.  Fahr. 

The  mixed  sensitizer  must  be  used  up  within  15  or  20 
minutes. 

The  sensitized  sheets  and  the  prints  must  be  preserved  from 
the  effects  of  moisture  in  a  box  containing  a  little  dry  chloride 
of  calcium.  All  the  subsequent  operations  are  the  same  as 
recommended  for  the  Willis  process,  of  which  the  following 
very  complete  directions  are  taken  from  an  article  by  Mr.  II. 
Edwards  Ficken,  published  in  “The  American  Annual  of 
Photography”  for  1887. 


“The  Platinotype  Process. 

“  One  has  but  to  see  a  fair  platinotype  print  to  be  struck  by 
the  charm  of  its  softness  and  delicacy,  and,  if  compared  with 


58 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


a  silver  print  from  the  same  negative,  by  its  superiority  in 
every  way.  In  platinotype  prints  the  whites  have  a  higher 
artistic  effect,  the  shadows  a  deeper  richness,  and  the  grays 
more  value  in  the  half-tones  than  can  ever  be  obtained  from 
the  best  silver  print,  the  velvety  feeling  of  the  picture  and  the 
absence  of  glaze  conducting  largely  to  this.  I  have  written 
before  of  the  beauty  of  this  process,  comparatively  little  known 
here,  but  exceedingly  popular  on  the  other  side,  and  it  is  sig¬ 
nificant  that  a  recent  number  of  the  English  Building  News> 
one  of  the  highest  and  most  conservative  professional  papers, 
containing  a  notice  of  the  Photographic  Society’s  recent  Ex¬ 
hibition  in  London,  calls  especial  attention  in  high  commenda¬ 
tion  to  the  platinotype  prints  shown,  and  adds :  ‘  The  delicate 

gray  tint  is  decidedly  preferable  to  the  purply  tones  which 
photographs  usually  have.  It  has  been  left  to  the  platinotype 
process  to  show  that  artistic  shades  of  black  and  gray  can  be 
produced.’  There  also  appeared  in  our  own  Photographic 
Times  (No.  259),  an  article  on  the  process  by  Mr.  G.  Watmough 
Webster,  whose  opinion  every  one  must  respect,  which  so  fully 
covers  the  ground  that  it  leaves  but  the  little  I  have  said  above 
to  complement  it.  I  can  only  say,  almost  in  Mr.  Webster’s 
words,  that  to  any  one  who  has  not  tried  the  process,  the  sim¬ 
plicity  and  ease  of  its  working  and  the  beauty  of  the  results 
will  be  simply  a  revelation. 

“  I  will  endeavor  now  to  describe  it  as  clearly  and  exactly  as 
possible  that  failure  may  be  precluded  ;  and  there  should  not 
be  any  failure  if  the  following  directions  and  hints  are  faith¬ 
fully  followed. 

“  I  may  premise  that  all  the  material,  chemicals  and  paper, 
can  be  purchased  ready  for  use,  a  great  convenience  for  ama¬ 
teurs  with  their  limited  time,  and  simplifying  greatly  their 
labors. 

“  Keeping  Apparatus  Dry—  At  the  beginning  it  must  be 
impressed  upon  the  attention  that  unless  all  the  material  used 
in  making  prints — the  printing  frame,  negative,  etc. — are  per¬ 
fectly  dry,  the  resultant  print  will  have  a  slaty  color,  instead  of 
the  warm,  rich  black  it  should  possess. 

“ Sensitizing  the  Paper. — The  first  operation  is  the  sensitizing 
of  the  paper  for  contact  printing,  for  I  would  advise  everyone 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


59 


to  sensitize  their  own  paper  just  before  using  it.  It  is  very 
little  trouble,  and  the  freshly  prepared  paper  gives  richer 
prints.  This  should  be  done  in  a  room  lighted  by  a  yellow 
light,  or  not  too  strong  gaslight.  The  sensitizing  solution  is 
made  by  dissolving  fifteen  grains  of  platinum  salt  in  a  quarter 
ounce  of  iron  solution  (the  exact  quantity  for  a  sheet  18  by  22 
inches),  shaking  the  solution  until  the  platinum  salts  are  dis¬ 
solved.  It  must  be  used  almost  as  soon  as  made,  as  it  will  not 
keep  over  half  an  hour.  Place  the  paper  to  be  sensitized,  face 
upwards,  on  a  sheet  of  plate  glass  having  a  wooden  frame,  so 
that  it  can  be  secured  at  the  comers  by  thumb  tacks ;  pour  the 
solution  on  the  middle  of  the  sheet  and  spread  evenly  over  the 
entire  surface  with  a  wad  of  clean  flannel.  Allow  no  streak¬ 
ings  to  remain  ;  swab  the  solution  first  one  way,  then  the 
other,  across  the  paper  with  a  light  touch  till  it  looks  perfectly 
smooth.  Now  hang  up  by  the  corners  till  dry.  This  should 
take  not  under  ten  minutes,  nor  over  twelve.  If  it  dries  too 
quickly,  some  of  the  image  will  float  off  in  the  developing  bath 
and  cause  a  loss  of  half-tone,  and  if  it  dries  too  slowly,  the 
subsequent  print  will  appear  flat. 

“ Drying  the  Sensitized  Paper. — If  the  air  be  very  dry  in  the 
room  where  the  paper  is  dried,  it  will  be  necessary  to  create  a 
moister  atmosphere,  otherwise  the  sensitizing  fluid  sinks  too 
deeply  in  the  paper  and  gives  a  flat  print.  I  obtain  this  moist¬ 
ness  by  pinning  the  paper  above  the  bath  tub,  when  the  paper 
seems  drying  too  rapidly  on  $he  surface,  and  turning  on  the 
hot  water,  the  steam  arising  from  it  dampening  the  air  very 
rapidly.  After  the  paper  seems  dry,  when  it  will  have  a 
lemon-yellow  color,  it  is  well  to  hold  it  for  a  few  minutes  in 
front  of  a  stove  to  ensure  its  thorough  dryness,  protecting  it, 
of  course,  from  any  strong  white  light.  It  can  now  be 
measured  off  and  cut  up  for  the  size  prints  to  be  made,  and 
put  away  till  wanted. 

“  Before  describing  how  to  preserve  the  sensitized  paper,  it 
may  be  well  to  give  the  caution  always  to  put  the  iron  solu¬ 
tion  in  a  dark  closet  to  keep  it  from  the  light,  and  always  to 
use  fresh  flannel  on  the  squeegee. 

“  Preserving  the  Paper. — In  preserving  the  paper  I  use  two 
tin  tubes  about  four  inches  diameter,  each  having  a  receptacle 


60 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


at  the  bottom  containing  dry  chloride  of  calcium,  to  extract 
all  moisture  from  the  tubes  and  paper.  One  I  label  ‘paper’ 
and  the  other ‘prints.’  In  the  first  I  store  the  cut-up  sensi¬ 
tized  sheets,  and  in  the  other  the  prints  as  fast  as  made.  Care 
must  be  taken  to  avoid  all  contact  between  the  paper  and  the 
chloride,  which  would  stain  the  print,  producing  white  spots. 

“  Printing. — Printing  is  done  as  usual,  the  sensitized  paper 
put  over  the  negative  in  the  ordinary  printing  frame  and 
exposed  to  direct  or  diffused  light,  according  to  the  character  of 
the  negative.  The  printing  frame  should  be  held  for  a  few 
minutes  before  the  stove,  and  a  sheet  of  thin  rubber  put  be¬ 
tween  the  negative  and  the  cover  of  the  printing  frame.  The 
correct  exposure  is  ascertained  by  inspecting  the  paper  in  the 
usual  way,  but  it  is  much  more  difficult  at  first  to  decide  upon 
the  proper  exposure,  as  much  of  the  detail  and  the  most  deli 
cate  tones  are  invisible  till  the  after  development.  This  must 
be  remembered.  Practice,  however,  soon  decides,  and  by 
carefully  noting  the  following  hints,  little  difficulty  will  be 
experienced  even  at  the  first.  As  a  general  rule  the  exposure 
is  complete  when  the  detail  in  the  high  lights  becomes  faintly 
visible.  With  very  dense  negatives,  and  rather  dense  nega¬ 
tives  are  best  for  this  process,  the  printing  should  be  continued 
until  all  the  details  in  the  lights  are  visible.  During  exposure 
the  parts  affected  by  light  become  of  a  pale  grayish-brown 
color,  and  finally,  perhaps,  of  a  dingy  orange  tint  under  those 
parts  of  the  negative  which  is  clear  glass  or  nearly  so.  Beware 
of  over-exposure  for  thin  negatives,  and  note  that  prints  look 
slightly  darker  when  dried  after  development,  and  prints  in 
half-tone,  only  if  printed  too  dark,  have  usually  a  flat  appear¬ 
ance. 

“  The  material  for  development  is  a  flat-bottomed  dish  of 
agate  iron  ware,  about  12  by  II  inches  in  size,  to  contain  the 
developing  solution,  and  a  small  gas  stove,  with  ring  burner, 
to  place  under  it  to  heat  the  solution  to  the  proper  developing 
temperature,  and  a  couple  of  porcelain-lined  trays,  16  by  19 
inches  in  size,  to  wash  the  developed  prints  in. 

“  The  development  should  be  effected  in  a  feeble  white  light, 
or  by  gaslight,  and  may  be  done  at  the  end  of  the  day’s  print- 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


61 


Developing  Solution. —  The  developing  solution  is  made  by 
dissolving  12  ounces  of  oxalate  of  potash,  in  4-1  ounces  of 
water,  and  made  acid  by  the  addition  of  2£  drams  of  oxalic 
acid,  or  enough  to  turn  blue  litmus  paper  pink.  This  will 
give  a  depth  of  about  half  an  inch  in  the  tray  for  8  by  10 
prints.  The  potash  is  most  readily  prepared  in  hot  water,  add¬ 
ing  the  salts  by  degrees,  and  stirring  till  all  is  dissolved.  The 
solution  must  now  be  heated  to  a  temperature  varying  between 
170  and  180  deg.  Fahr.,  and  this  is  the  standard,  though  higher 
and  lower  temperature  may  be  used,  for  which,  reasons  will  be 
given  later. 

Development.  The  development  of  the  prints  is  effected  by 
floating  them,  face  down,  upon  this  hot  solution  of  oxalate  of 
potash  for  a  few  seconds ,  and  is  best  performed  by  laying  one 
end  of  the  print  upon  the  bath  at  the  right  hand  of  the  tray, 
and  sliding  it  evenly  towards  the  left,  lowering  the  print  with 
an  even  movement  and  without  stoppage,  until  it  is  entirely 
in  contact  with  the  liquid,  where  it  must  remain  not  less  than 
five  seconds.  It  may  remain  longer,  as  a  prolonged  floating- 
does  no  great  harm  beyond  unnecessarily  softening  the  paper 
and  its  sizing ;  and,  in  fact,  it  is  my  practice,  after  the  first 
floating  and  appearance  of  the  image,  to  float  the  print  once  or 
twice  more  in  the  deepest  shadows  only,  to  get  all  the  possible 
depth  out  of  them. 

“ J ust  as  in  the  appearance  of  the  latent  image  when  devel. 
oping  the  negative,  which  gives  a  never-ending  pleasure,  so 
will  the  same  delight  be  felt  in  the  appearance  of  the  print 
after  this  floating  for  a  few  seconds  on  the  hot  solution.  It  is 
like  magic  j  the  whole  view  flashes  up,  it  seems  instantaneous¬ 
ly,  in  all  its  beauty,  and  is  the  most  full  repayment  for  what 
little  trouble  has  gone  before. 

“As  the  heat  of  the  developing  solution  is  greater  than  the 
hands  are  accustomed  to,  take  care  not  to  injure  the  first 
prints  by  starting  at  the  sudden  shock  of  the  touch  on  the 
fingers  of  the  hot  liquid.  A  little  practice  will  soon  enable 
one  to  almost  avoid  touching  the  bath  at  all. 

“Again  a  caution.  Look  out  for  crystals  on  the  surface  of  the 
developing  bath,  and  do  not  develop  till  these  are  dissolved 
or  removed.  Air  bubbles  must  also  be  carefully  avoided  in 


62 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


floating  the  prints,  as  they  form  white  spots ;  but  if  they 
should  make  their  appearance,  by  any  little  inadvertence,  im¬ 
mediately  touch  them  once  or  twice  to  the  bath,  when  they 
will  be  removed. 

“  Prints  having  deep  shadows,  especially  when  over-printed, 
require  a  development  of  at  least  ten  seconds.  Subjects  en¬ 
tirely  in  half-tone  require  only  five  seconds.  Over-exposed 
prints  must  be  developed  at  a  temperature  between  10  and  20 
degrees  lower  than  the  standard,  and  under-exposed  ones 
higher,  although  this  will  not  always  save  the  print,  for  with 
either  extreme  a  little  flatness  may  appear. 

“  It  is  best  to  try  and  give  such  exposures  in  the  printing 
frame,  as  a  uniform  temperature  at  about  170  to  180  deg. 
Fahr.,  as  already  stated,  will  insure  perfect  results. 

“  The  developing  solution  may  be  used  almost  indefinitely, 
although  in  this,  as  in  all  my  other  photographic  work,  I 
prefer  fresh  solutions ;  but  it  must  be  kept  in  a  dark  closet, 
and,  before  using  again,  should  be  decanted  from  the  crystals, 
which  may  have  formed,  and  enough  fresh  solution  of  oxalate 
of  potash  added  to  bring  the  bath  up  again  to  the  required 
quantity. 

“  Washing  the  Prints . — The  developed  prints  must  now  be 
washed  in  at  least  three  baths  of  a  weak  solution  of  hydro¬ 
chloric  acid  to  thoroughly  clean  them.  Citric  acid  may  also 
be  used,  but  I  find  the  other  more  convenient.  For  the  size 
of  trays  given  above,  one  ounce  of  the  hydrochloric  acid  to 
sixty-four  ounces  of  water  will  be  sufficient.  Immerse  the 
prints,  face  down,  in  the  first  acid  bath,  and  let  them  remain 
there  about  ten  minutes  ;  then  remove  to  the  second  bath  and 
treat  in  the  same  way.  If  they  do  not  communicate  to  the 
last  acid  bath  the  slightest  tinge  of  color,  they  may  now  be 
well  washed  in  clear  water,  otherwise  a  third  acid  bath,  per¬ 
haps  slightly  weaker,  must  be  given  them.  While  in  the 
baths,  move  the  prints  about  so  that  the  solution  washes  them 
freely,  but  take  care  not  to  abrade  them. 

“  They  are  now  finished,  and  need  only  drying  to  render 
them  ready  for  mounting. 

“  If,  after  drying,  the  prints  are  more  or  less  yellow,  it  may 
come  from  the  sensitizing  fluid  not  having  been  acid  enough. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


63 


Again,  prints  may  appear  strong,  yet  more  or  less  fogged ; 
this  may  come  from  over-exposure  in  printing.  The  cure  for 
this  has  already  been  given  :  reduce  the  temperature  of  the 
developing  solution. 

“  It  is  really  all  simpler  than  it  reads ;  the  chemicals  are  few 
and  easily  used,  the  sensitizing  of  the  paper  is  easily  and 
quickly  done,  the  printing  is  soon  picked  up,  the  development 
is  almost  purely  mechanical,  and  the  cleaning  and  washing 
entirely  so.  The  ease  of  the  whole  thing,  however,  should 
not  be  the  only  temptation  to  try  it ;  its  beauty  is  unapproach¬ 
able  and  lends  itself  with  equally  good  results  to  strong  effects 
in  portraiture  and  all  atmospheric  tones  of  landscape  and 
marine  views. 

“  I  would  say,  in  conclusion,  that  there  can  be  obtained  from 
the  Platinotype  Company,  London,  Eng.,  specially  prepared 
paper  in  the  sizing  for  the  making  of  sepia-colored  prints, 
which,  for  some  subjects,  is  particularly  beautiful,  and  a  solu¬ 
tion  for  mixing  with  the  ordinary  oxalate  of  potash  developer, 
which  combines  to  give  the  finished  sepia  color.  I  have  tried 
it  with  great  success.  Willis  &  Clements,  of  Philadelphia, 
supply  all  the  other  material.” 

Platinum  prints  may,  I  believe,  be  regarded  as  permanent, 
platinum  black  being  one  of  the  most  stable  colors,  unaffected 
by  atmospheric  changes.  The  process  is  simplicity  itself,  and 
this,  together  with  the  exceeding  beauty  and  artistic  effect, 
would  undoubtedly  commend  the  process  to  art-loving  ama¬ 
teurs,  were  they  not  deterred  by  the  necessity  of  taking  out  a 
license.  But  I  have  found  that  the  ready-sensitized  paper  will 
keep  in  good  condition  if  placed  in  a  box  with  a  tight-fitting 
cover,  with  chloride  of  calcium  sprinkled  over  the  bottom, 
care  must  be  taken  to  prevent  the  paper  from  coming  in  con¬ 
tact  with  the  chloride,  or  white  spots  will  show  themselves  in 
the  prints  when  developed. 

Pizzeghilli’s  process,  described  above,  gives  prints  of  the 
highest  degree  of  excellence,  and  the  process  is  free  to  all. 

The  chemical  explanation  of  the  formation  of  the  image  in 
platinum  black  is  probably  that  the  action  of  light  converts 
the  ferric  oxalate  to  the  ferrous  state  and  that  immersion  in 
the  hot  solution  of  potassic  oxalate  immediately  reduces  the 


64 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


platinum  to  the  metallic  state  wherever  it  is  in  contact  with 
the  ferrous  salt.  The  portion  not  so  reduced  remains  in 
solution  with  the  potassic  oxalate.  Directions  for  recovering 
this  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  “Wastes.” 

Warm  or  sepia  tones  may  be  given  to  platinum  prints  by 
the  following  method,  which  is  that  of  Signor  Borlinetto  : 

Dissolve  nine  and  three-quarter  ounces  of  neutral  oxalate  of 
potash  in  thirty-two  and  one-eiglit  ounces  of  boiling  water, 
and  then  add  154  grains  of  oxalic  acid.  When  solution  is 
complete,  add  three  and  a  quarter  ounces  of  a  saturated  solu¬ 
tion  of  chloride  of  copper;  shake  well  to  insure  complete 
mixture.  The  printed  proofs  are  immersed  in  this  solution  at 
a  temperature  varying  from  170  to  200  degs.  Fahr.,  and  they 
soon  tone  to  a  rich  sepia.  The  tint  can  be  changed  by  raising 
or  lowering  the  temperature.  As  soon  as  the  prints  have  as¬ 
sumed  the  desired  tint  they  are  washed  in  the  usual  way  in 
the  acid  bath,  and  then  immersed  for  a  short  time  in  a  one  to 
twenty  solution  of  sulphate  of  iron.  They  are  then  washed 
once  in  water  made  slightly  acid  with  sulphuric  acid,  and 
after  the  usual  half  hour’s  washing  in  running  water,  they  are 
hung  up  to  dry. 

As  these  prints  resist  nitric,  sulphuric,  and  even  huor- 
hydric  acid,  they  are  presumably  permanent. 


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PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


65 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PRINTING  WITH  EMULSIONS. 

Gelatino-Bromide.— The  chief  point  of  difference  between 
printing  on  paper  prepared  with  emulsions  and  printing  on 
paper  sensitized  in  the  bath,  is,  that  in  the  former  case  we  have 
the  sensitive  compound  of  silver  suspended  in  an  exceedingly 
line  state  of  division,  in  a  vehicle  of  gelatine  or  collodion: 
whereas,  in  the  latter  we  have  a  thin  coating  of  an  aqueous 
solution  of  the  sensitive  salt.  Organic  substances  such  as  gela¬ 
tine  or  collodion  are  sensitizers  of  silver,  and,  in  consequence, 
emulsion  papers  are  more  sensitive  than  papers  floated  on  the 
bath,  for  the  reason  that  the  atoms  of  the  molecules  are  in  a 
state  of  less  stable  equilibrium  in  the  "former  case  than  in  the 

latter,  and  therefore  are  more  easily  separated  by  the  action  of 
light. 

The  most  common  form  in  which  emulsion  paper  presents 
itself  to  the  amateur  is  the  well-known  bromide  of  silver  paper, 
which  is  now  a  standard  trade  article.  But  since  good  results 
can  be  obtained  on  paper  coated  with  a  chloride  of  silver  emul¬ 
sion,  which,  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  cannot  be  purchased, 
full  directions  are  given  of  the  apparatus  and  chemicals  needed 
to  prepare  different  emulsions,  together  with  directions  for 
making  the  emulsions  and  coating  the  paper. 

Apparatus.  This  need  not  be  of  a  very  complicated  or  ex¬ 
pensive  nature.  First  of  all,  some  sort  of  a  vessel  is  required 
as  a  water-bath,  to  hold  the  solutions,  which  have  to  be  kept  at 
a  certain  temperature.  I  have  always  used  a  common  tin  pail 
having  a  tightly-fltting  cover.  Two  or  three  earthenware, 
porcelain,  or  glass  vessels,  of  a  pint  or  more  capacity,  a  ther¬ 
mometer  of  the  pattern  used  for  taking  the  temperature  of  hot 
solutions,  a  supply  of  glass  stirring-rods,  a  filter  of  some  kind, 
and  a  Bunsen  burner,  spirit  lamp,  or  kerosene  lamp,  complete 
the  modest  plant  required  for  making  the  various  kinds  of 
emulsion. 


66 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


A  very  compact  and  convenient  digesting  apparatus  is  found 
in  the  infants’  food-warmer  kept  by  most  druggists.  This  con¬ 
sists  of  a  covered  porcelain-dish,  which  tits  into  a  metal  water- 
bath,  the  source  of  heat  being  a  candle. 

A  simple  and  efficient  filter  is  easily  made  by  tying  two 
thicknesses  of  an  old  pocket-handerchief  around  the  top  of  a 
fluted-top  lamp  chimney. 

The  coating-room  must  contain  the  indispensable  glass  or 
stone  slab,  accurately  levelled,  and  a  supply  of  clean  glass 
plates  of  a  size  corresponding  to  that  of  the  paper  to  be  coated. 


Br^iide  of  Silver  Emulsion. 


42i  grains. 
26  grains. 

1  ounce. 
32 J-  grains. 
1  ounce. 


1. — Gelatine  (soft),  -  ' 

Bromide  of  potassium. 
Water  (distilled), 


2. — Nitrate  of  silver, 
Water  (distilled),  - 


Dissolve  the  bromide  first,  then  add  the  gelatine,  and  dis¬ 
solve  by  gentle  heat  (95  deg.  to  100  deg.  Falir.)  ;  bring  the  sil¬ 
ver  solution  to  the  same  temperature,  and  add  in  a  small  stream 
to  the  gelatine  solution,  stirring  vigorously,  of  course,  in  non- 
actinic  light.  Keep  the  mixed  emulsion  at  a  temperature  of 
105  de«-.  Falir.,  for  half  an  hour  or  an  hour,  according  to  the 
degree  of  sensitiveness  required,  previously  adding  one  drop 
of  nitric  acid  to  every  five  ounces  of  emulsion.  Allow  it  to 
set,  squeeze  through  working  canvas,  and  wash  two  hours  in 
running  water.  In  my  own  practice,  I  manage  the  washing 
easily  enough  by  breaking  the  emulsion  up  into  an  earthen  jar 
filled  with  cold  water,  and  placed  in  my  dark  room  sink.  A 
tall  lamp  chimney,  standing  in  the  jar  immediately  under  the 
tap,  conducts  the  fresh  water  to  the  bottom  of  the  jar,  and 
keeps  the  finely  divided  emulsion  in  constant  motion ;  a  piece 
of  muslin,  laid  over  the  top  of  the  jar  to  prevent  any  of  the 
emulsion  running  out,  completes  this  simple,  inexpensive,  but 
efficient  washing  apparatus. 

The  washing  completed,  you  are  ready  to  melt  and  filter  the 
emulsion  preparatory  to  coating  the  paper.  When  melted,  and 
before  filtering,  it  is  well  to  add  of  glycerine  and  alcohol 
each  about  one-tenth  of  the  whole  bulk  of  the  emulsion,  the 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


67 

glycerine  preventing  troublesome  cockling  of  the  paper  as  it 
dries,  and  the  alcohol  preventing  air-bubbles,  and  hastening 
the  drying.  This  addition  made  and  the  emulsion  filtered,  you 
are  ready  to  coat  your  paper,  which  may  be  coated  just  as  it 
comes  from  the  stock  dealer,  plain  Saxe  or  Rives,  or  better 
still,  given  a  substratum  of  insoluble  gelatine,  made  as  fol¬ 
lows  : 


Gelatine, 

Water, 


1|  grains. 
1  punce. 


Dissolve  and  filter;  then  add  11  drops  of  a  1:50  filtered 
chrome  alum  solution.  The  paper  is  to  be  floated  for  half  a 
minute  on  this  solution,  avoiding  air  bubbles,  and  then  hung 
up  to  dry  in  a  room  free  from  dust.  The  purpose  of  this  sub¬ 
stratum  is  to  secure  additional  brilliancy  in  the  finished  prints 
by  keeping  the  emulsion  isolated  from  the  surface  of  the  paper. 
If  you  are  floating  the  whole  sheet,  now  is  the  proper  time  to 
cut  it  to  the  size  you  wish  to  coat,  but  for  anything  less  than 
6^x8^,  I  would  recommend  cutting  in  double  or  quadruple 
sizes,  8x10  for  5x8  and  4x5  prints,  as  the  paper  is  easily  cut 
down  after  the  emulsion  is  dry. 


Coating. 

Apparatus.  A.  stone,  marble  or  glass  slab  large  enough  to 
hold  at  least  halt  a  dozen  glasses  of  the  size  paper  you  are  coat- 
ing,  and  most  accurately  levelled  ;  a  dozen  or  more  pieces  of 
glass  of  the  same  size  as  your  paper ;  a  porcelain  or  agate  ware 
tray  of  the  same  size ;  a  ruby  lamp  ;  a  deep  tray  of  a  size  to 
hold  your  jug  of  emulsion  and  the  smaller  tray ;  a  spirit  or 
kerosene  lamp  enclosed  in  a  box  suitably  ventilated  and  pro¬ 
tected  against  the  egress  of  white  light  from  the  lamp  inside, 
(this  is  easily  secured  by  punching  holes  around  the  top  and 
bottom  of  a  tin  box  of  suitable  size,  and  covering  it  with 
another  somewhat  larger  in  every  way,  but  without  a  top),  and 
a  goodly  supply  of  spring  clothespins,  to  be  had  of  any  hard¬ 
ware  merchant  for  20  cents  a  dozen.  The  above  is  a  complete 
inventory  of  my  own  outfit.  Having  then  provided  yourself 
with  these  articles,  with  the  addition  of  a  squeegee  muffled 
with  a  piece  of  soft  flannel,  an  article  which  you  can  easily 


68 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


make  by  procuring  a  piece  of  small  black  rubber  tubing  of  the 
proper  length,  and  placing  it  in  the  centre  of  a  strip  of  flannel 
of  equal  length,  and  about  two  inches  wide ;  you  then  fold  the 
flannel  over  on  itself,  thus  enclosing  the  rubber  tube,  and  fasten 
the  whole  between  two  narrow,  thin  strips  of  wood,  drawing 
the  rubber  up  close  to  the  wood,  you  are  ready  for  coating.  For 
this  purpose  you  must  secure  the  temporary  use  of  some  small 
room  in  which  the  paper  can  be  coated,  hung  up  and  left  to 
dry.  This  room  must  meet  three  requirements  :  it  must  be 
dry,  free  from  dust,  and  capable  of  being  made  absolutely  light¬ 
tight  during  the  drying  of  the  paper.  I  am  fortunate  enough 
to  have  undisputed  control  of  a  small  attic  which  serves  ad¬ 
mirably. 

Into  this  room,  provided  with  a  table  large  enough  to  hold 
your  marble  slab,  on  which  the  slab  is  carefully  levelled,  you 
carry  all  the  articles  mentioned  above.  The  spirit  or  oil  lamp 
is  placed  in  its  box,  on  which  stands  the  large  tray  previously 
filled  with  water  at  100  deg.  Fahr.,  and  containing  the  jar  of 
emulsion  and  the  small  tray  filled  with  warm  distilled  water. 
The  ruby  lamp  stands  on  a  table  in  front  of  you ;  the  glasses 
well  cleaned  and  warmed  to  blood  heat,  and  the  paper  with  the 
side  to  be  coated  uppermost  are  placed  on  the  table  at  your 
right;  within  convenient  reach  of  your  right  hand  stands  the 
tray  of  warm  water,  and  the  levelled  slab  is  within  easy  reach 
on  your  left.  Turn  the  ruby  lamp  down  as  low  as  is  consistent 
with  the  power  of  vision.  ISTow  immerse  a  sheet  of  the  paper 
in  the  water  in  the  small  tray,  leaving  it  there  for  a  minute  or 
two ;  then  place  it  accurately  on  one  of  the  glass  plates,  and 
sweep  off  all  superfluous  water  with  the  squeegee,  at  the  same 
time  removing  all  wrinkles  and  air  bells,  and  place  in  an  up¬ 
right  position  to  dry  slightly,  while  you  prepare  a  second  plate 
in  the  same  manner.  Now  balance  the  first  plate  on  the  tips 
of  the  fingers  and  thumb  of  the  left  hand,  and  pour  on  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  the  emulsion,  about  1  dram  for  every  10 
square  inches  of  paper.  I  use  a  silver  soup  ladle  holding  just 
enough  to  cover  a  whole  plate.  Gently  tilt  the  plate  from  you 
until  the  further  end  is  completely  covered ;  then  as  gently 
tilt  it  towards  you  until  the  emulsion  completely  covers  the 
paper ;  then  carefully  place  it  on  the  levelled  slab  to  set.  Con- 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


69 


tinue  this  operation  until  the  slab  is  covered,  when  the  paper 
first  coated  will  probably  have  become  sufficiently  set  to  be 
stiipped  from  the  glass  and  hung  up  by  clothespins  to  dry, 
which  in  my  room  requires  from  six  to  ten  hours. 

Other  Methods  of  Coating  Paper  with  Emulsion. 

While  the  method  of  coating  described  above  is  the  one  pre¬ 
ferred  by  the  author  for  coating  a  small  quantity  of  paper, 
other  means  of  securing  the  same  result  are  available.  A  very 
good  method  of  coating  is  to  place  the  melted  emulsion  in  a 
clean  porcelain  tray  of  the  requisite  dimensions,  and  to  place 
this  in  a  second  larger  tray  containing  water  heated  to  about 
95  or  100  deg.  Fahr.  Some  means  must  be  devised  of  sus¬ 
pending  a  levelled  glass  slab  above  the  smaller  tray  in  such  a 
way  as  to  leave  about  two  inches  of  one  end  of  the  tray  un¬ 
covered.  This  may  be  done  by  having  the  larger  tray  some¬ 
what  deeper  than  that  containing  the  emulsion,  and  usin°r 
glass  plates  large  enough  to  reach  across  the  larger  tray. 

The  water  may  be  kept  at  the  proper  temperature  by  any 
convenient  means. 

The  paper  to  be  coated  is  previously  dampened,  and  then 
floated,  sheet  by  sheet,  on  the  emulsion,  carefully  avoiding  air 
bubbles.  As  soon  as  the  paper  has  been  laid  down  on  the 
emulsion,  the  glass  plate  is  put  in  position,  one  end  of  the 
paper  is  grasped  with  a  pair  of  broad  horn  or  glass  pincers  and 
drawn  slowly  over  the  end  of  the  glass  plate,  upon  which  it  is 
smoothly  laid  down  and  allowed  to  set,  when  it  is  stripped  off 
and  hung  up  to  dry. 

A  better  way,  perhaps,  is  to  remove  the  glass  plate  bearing 
the  paper  to  the  usual  levelled  slab.  By  adopting  this  method 
no  delay  in  coating  is  necessitated,  and  the  glass  covering  the 
tray  need  not  be  so  accurately  levelled  as  it  must  be  if  the 
emulsion  is  allowed  to  set  over  the  tray.  The  author  has  de¬ 
vised  a  little  machine  for  coating  long  rolls  of  paper  which  he 
has  found  to  work  admirably  and  greatly  to  facilitate  the 
operation  of  coating. 

It  differs  from  other  machines  for  this  purpose  accessible  to 
the  ordinary  experimenter  in  the  fact  that  the  paper  is  drawn 
from  the  machine,  coated  side  up,  directly  to  a  long-levelled 


V 


TO  PHOTOGRAPHIC  printing  methods. 

slab,  while  all  other  forms  of  machine  known  to  the  writer  re¬ 
quire  the  suspension  of  the  paper  after  coating,  a  mode  of 
working  which  allows  the  emulsion  to  run  down  the  paper  be¬ 
fore  setting,  giving  rise  to  ridges  and  uneven  coating. 

The  accompanying  figures  and  description  will,  it  is  hoped, 
make  the  construction  and  practical  working  of  the  machine 
sufficiently  intelligible. 


Fig.  2. 


fp  ■<! 

Fig.  3. 

Fig.  1  shows  a  side  plan  of  the  emulsion-holder.  Fig.  2 
the  apparatus  complete,  and  Fig.  3  an  end-view  of  the  base 
board,  showing  the  wires  under  which  the  paper  is  drawn. 

The  box  A  is  constructed  as  shown  of  any  close-grained  thin 
wood,  and  well  shellacked.  The  narrow  slit  is  covered  with  a 
piece  of  fine  linen,  well  glued  on.  It  is  impossible  to  give 
any  definite  dimensions  for  the  box,  as  they  vary  according  to 
the  width  of  the  paper  to  be  coated.  Its  width  must  be  the 
same  as  the  width  of  the  film  desired  ;  its  length  need  not  ex¬ 
ceed  3  to  4  inches,  and  its  height  must  be  sufficient  to  allow 
enough  emulsion  to  be  poured  in  to  coat  the  longest  strip  of 
paper  likely  to  be  coated. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


71 


The  base  board  C,  Fig.  2,  is  made  of  a  piece  of  pine  one 
inch  thick,  twelve  inches  long,  and  as  wide  as  the  emulsion- 
holder.  At  each  side,  strips  one-half  inch  thick,  two  inches 
high  and  eighteen  inches  long  are  screwed,  to  which  two 
brass  wires,  one-half  inch  in  diameter,  are  fastened  at  the 
ends  in  such  a  way  as  to  allow  the  turned-up  edges  of  the 
paper  to  pass  freely  under  them.  Two  uprights,  B,  B,  are 
firmly  screwed  to  the  base  board.  Between  these  uprights 
the  emulsion-holder  is  suspended  by  means  of  thumb-screws. 
The  box  must  be  suspended  at  such  a  height  as  to  allow  all 
the  emulsion  to  flow  out  when  the  box  is  in  position  for  coat¬ 
ing.  A  roller,  D,  Fig.  2,  is  placed  at  the  end  of  the  side 
strips.  The  base  board,  C,  should  be  covered  with  a  piece  of 
glass. 

To  Use  the  Apparatus. — The  desired  length  of  paper  is 
wound  on  the  roller,  the  apparatus  is  placed  on  a  level  with 
the  end  of  a  levelled  slab  or  board  from  six  to  fifteen  feet  in 
length,  the  free  end  of  the  paper  drawn  under  the  box  and 
damped  between  two  strips  of  thin  wood,  having  strips  of 
sheet  rubber  fastened  on  the  inside.  A  screw-eye  is  inserted 
about  half  an  inch  from  each  end  of  one  of  these  strips, 
through  which  a  short  piece  of  string  is  passed  ;  this  string  is 
provided  with  a  small  brass  ring,  left  free  to  travel  back  or 
forth  on  the  string.  To  this  ring  is  fastened  a  long  piece  of 
twine  which  passes  through  a  screw-eye  underneath  the  fur¬ 
ther  end  of  the  levelling  slab,  thence  through  a  screw-eye 
fastened  in  the  ceiling  of  the  room,  and  through  other  screw- 
eyes  is  brought  back  within  convenient  reach  of  the  operator’s 
hand. 

The  box  is  filled  with  emulsion,  and  the  paper  is  drawn 
slowly  along  until  the  end  of  the  slab  is  reached.  The  box  is 
then  raised  to  a  horizontal  position  to  stop  the  flow  of  emul¬ 
sion,  the  clamps  removed  and  fastened  to  the  end  of  the  un¬ 
coated  paper.  The  apparatus  is  then  moved  sideways  until  a 
clear  portion  of  the  slab  lies  in  front  of  it,  and  another  strip  of 
paper  coated  as  before. 

To  insure  success  with  this  apparatus,  it  is  necessary  that  it 
works  smoothly  and  evenly,  and  that  perfect  accuracy  be  se¬ 
cured  in  its  construction. 


72 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


To  prevent  any  of  the  emulsion  running  under  the  edges  of 
the  paper,  the  roller  must  be  about  half  an  inch  wider  than 
the  box,  and  the  paper  cut  the  same  width  as  the  roller,  and 
turned  up  one  quarter  of  an  inch  on  each  side.  This  is  ef¬ 
fected  by  means  of  the  side  wires  which  are  fastened  close  to 
the  glass  top  of  the  base,  beneath  and  behind  which  the  paper 
is  drawn.  These  wires  should  not  extend  beyond  the  end  of 
the  base  board  at  the  back,  being  fastened  to  the  thin  strip, 
F,  between  which  and  the  base  board  the  paper  passes.  The 
ends  of  this  strip  are  cut  away  to  allow  the  turned-up  edge  of 
the  paper  to  pass  between  them  and  the  side  strip.  Fig.  4 
shows  the  arrangement. 


Bo  of 


Fig.  4. 

As  it  is  usually  necessary  to  dampen  the  paper  before  coat¬ 
ing,  the  paper,  as  it  is  wound  on  the  roller,  is  drawn  under 
water  placed  in  a  tray.  This  should  be  done  rather  slowly  in 
order  that  the  paper  may  be  thoroughly  dampened. 

The  author  has  found  this  apparatus  thoroughly  practical, 
and  gives  these  details  of  its  construction  and  working  with 
the  hope  that  it  may  prove  serviceable  to  the  fraternity  at 
large. 


dSTo.  2. — For  Brown  Tones. 


•Gelatine, 

231  grains. 

Bromide  of  potassium, 

115  grains. 

Iodide  of  potassium,  - 

25  grains. 

Water, 

5  ounces. 

Nitric  acid, 

2  drops. 

Nitrate  of  silver, 

172  grains. 

Water,  ... 

5  ounces. 

The  directions  given  above  are  to  be  followed  in  making 
this  emulsion. 

If' prints  having  a  more  mat  surface  are  desired,  decrease 
the  amount  of  gelatine,  but  its  bulk  should  not  be  less  than 
that  of  the  bromide  of  potassium. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


73 


For  enlargements,  the  best  effects  are  produced  by  coating 
drawing-paper,  omitting  the  gelatine  sizing. 

Exposure. 

For  contact  printing  artificial  light  is  best.  The  time  of 
exposure  varies  with  the  intensity  of  the  light,  the  density  of  the 
negative,  and  the  distance  at  which  the  latter  is  held  from  the 
source  of  light  while  making  the  expsosure,  the  time  increasing 
as  the  square  of  the  distance.  Thin  negatives  are  best  print¬ 
ed  from  at  a  distance  from  the  lamp ;  thick  ones  should  be 
held  quite  near. 

The  tone  of  the  print  may  be  varied  by  giving  a  prolonged 
exposure  and  using  a  very  diluted  developer  with  8  to  10 
drops  of  a  1  to  10  solution  of  common  salt  added. 

Development. 

The  most  common  developer  for  bromide  prints  is  the  usual 
ferrous  oxalate  developer,  both  solutions  being  kept  acid. 
Other  developers,  however,  can  be  employed.  If  the  pyro 
developer  is  used  for  the  purpose  of  getting  brown  tones,  the 
developer  should  be  weak  in  the  alkali,  and  the  prints  should 
be  immersed  in  a  1  to  10  sulphite  of  soda  solution  before  fixing, 
to  prevent  staining. 

Pleasing  brown  tones  may  be  given  to  prints  on  bromide 
paper  by  immersion  for  a  minute  or  two  in  a  bath  composed 
of  equal  parts  of  the  following  solutions  : 


1. — Water, . 100  parts. 

Nitrate  of  uranium,  i  part. 

2. — Water, . 100  parts. 

Ferricyanide  of  potash,  -  -  -  1  part. 


The  jirints  must  be  well  washed  before  tonino\  and  the 
washing,  after  toning,  should  not  be  prolonged  beyond  half  an 
hour,  as  prolonged  washing  will  destroy  the  color,  owing  to  the 
solubility  of  the  ferricyanide  of  uranium  formed  when  the 
above  solutions  are  mixed.  The  tone  of  the  prints  may  be 
greatly  modified  by  varying  the  proportions  of  the  ferricyanide. 

Eastman’s  Developer. 


A. — Oxalate  of  potash 
Hot  water, 


1  pound. 
3  pints. 


74 


PHOTOGRAFHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Acidify  with  oxalic  acid.  Test  with  litmus  paper. 


B.  — Proto-sulphate  of  iron,  -  -  -  1  pound. 

Hot  water,  -  -  -  1  quart. 

Sulphuric  acid  (or  citric  acid,  i  oz)  -  -  i  dram. 

C.  — Bromide  potassium,  -  -  -  1  ounce. 

Water,  -  .  -  -  -  1  quart. 


These  solutions  keep  separately,  hut  must  be  mixed  only  for 
immediate  use. 

To  Develop. 

Take,  in  a  suitable  tray,  A,  6  ounces  ;  B,  1  ounce  ;  C,  ^ 
dram. 

Mix  in  the  order  given  ;  use  cold.  After  exposure,  soak 
the  paper  in  water  until  limp  ;  then  immerse  in  the  developer. 

The  image  should  appear  slowly,  and  should  develop  up 
strong,  clear  and  brilliant.  When  the  shadows  are  sufficiently 
black,  pour  off  the  developer  and  flood  the  print  with  the 

✓ 

Clearing  Solution. 

Acetic  acid,  -  -  -  -  -  1  dram. 

Water,  ------  1  quart. 

Do  not  wash  the  print  after  pouring  off  the  developer  and 
before  applying  the  clearing  solution. 

Use  a  sufficient  quantity  to  flow  over  the  print,  say  2 
ounces  for  an  S  x  10.  Allow  it  to  act  for  one  minute,  and  then 
pour  it  off  and  apply  a  fresh  portion  ;  repeat  the  operation  a 
third  time,  then  rinse  in  pure  water  and  immerse  for  ten 
minutes  in  the 

Fixing  Bath. 

Hyposulphite  soda,  3  ounces. 

Water,  -----  1  pint. 

On  the  Use  of  Bromide  as  a  Restrainer . — Although  all  the 
above  formulas  for  developers  contain  a  certain  percentage  of 
bromide,  I  would  recommend  that  it  be  not  used.  Too  much 
bromide  tends  to  produce  an  unpleasant  yellowish  or  olive- 
green  tone,  while  a  careless  use  of  it  will  utterly  spoil  the 
print.  The  best  method  of  controlling  development  is  to  begin 
with  an  old  developer,  substituting  the  freshly-mixed  one  when 
the  shadows  and  general  outlines  are  well  out,  changing  back 
to  the  old  developer  if  necessary. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


75 


Dr.  Charles  Ehrmann,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  many 
valuable  suggestions,  kindly  furnishes  the  following  method  of 
restraining  the  action  of  the  developer  :  In  case  the  print 
proves  to  be  over-exposed,  and  no  old  developer  is  at  hand, 
quickly  pour  the  developer  off  the  print,  and  flood  it  with  the 
plain  oxalate  solution.  Allow  this  to  remain  on  the  print  for 
a  moment,  then  ponr  of!  the  greater  portion  of  it,  and  continue 
the  development  by  adding  gradually  as  required  small  quan¬ 
tities  of  the  original  developer. 

Enamelling. 

Prints  on  smooth  paper  (“A”  or  “B”  Eastman’s)  may  be  given 
a  beautiful,  polished  surface,  superior  to  that  obtained  by  burn¬ 
ishing,  in  the  following  manner :  Sprinkle  the  surface  of  a 
glass  plate  with  powdered  French  chalk,  rub  it  evenly  over 
the  surface  with  a  tuft  <5f  cotton  wool,  continuing  to  rub  it 

i  '  O 

lightly  until  the  chalk  is  all  removed  ;  then  coat  the  glass  with 
the  following  collodion  : 

Soluble  gbn  cotton,  -  -  .  .  48  grains. 

Alcohol,  -  4  ounces. 

Sulphuric  ether,  -  -  -  .  '  4  ounces. 

As  soon  as  the  collodion  is  well  set,  slide  it  face  up,  into  a 
tray  of  water,  in  which  is  floating,  face  down,  the  permanent 
bromide  print,  which  has  just  been  fixed  and  washed,  grasp 
the  plate  and  print  by  one  end  and  lift  them  together  from  the 
water,  avoiding  bubbles,  and  draining  the  water  from  the 
opposite  end  ;  squeegee  the  print  into  contact  with  the  plate 
and  set  away  to  dry.  Before  the  print  is  quite  dry  apply  a 
coat  of  starch  paste  to  the  back.  After  drying,  the  print  can 
be  peeled  off  from  the  glass,  and  the  face  will  present  a  polish 
almost  as  high  as  the  surface  of  the  glass  from  which  it  has 
been  removed.  The  print  is  then  ready  to  mount,  as  follows: 
Moisten  the  face  of  the  mount  with  a  damp  sponge  and  lay  it 
upon  the  print ;  rub  down  with  a  soft  cloth  and  put  under 
pressure  to  dry. 

Another  Method. 

Squeegee  the  wet  print,  face  down,  on  a  polished  piece  of 
hard  rubber  or  ebonite  ;  when  dry  the  print  will  peel  off  with 


76 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


a  fine  polished  surface.  The  print  should  be  slipped  on  to  the 
rubber  plate  under  water  to  avoid  air  bells. 

Flexible  Prints. 

Permanent  bromide  prints  soaked  in  a  mixture  of  glycerine, 
5  ounces,  and  water,  25  ounces,  and  dried,  will  not  curl,  and 
may  be  used  for  book  illustrations  unmounted.  The  heavier 
papers  “  B  ”  and  “  C  ”  are  especially  adapted  for  this  purpose. 

Straightening  Unmounted  Prints. 

After  drying,  prints  may  be  straightened  by  the  scraping 
action  of  a  sharp-edged  ruler  applied  to  the  back  ;  the  corner 
behind  the  ruler  being  lifted  as  the  ruler  is  passed  along. 

Black  Tones  Like  Platinum  Prints. 


A.  — Boiling  water,  ....  500  parts. 

Neutral  oxalate  of  potassium,  -  125  parts. 

Acidulate  with  oxalic  acid. 

B.  — Boiling  water,  ....  500  parts. 

Sulphate  of  iron,  ...  185  parts. 

Sulphuric  acid,  1  part. 

C.  — Water,  .....  300  parts. 

Bromide  of  potassium,  -  -  10  parts. 


Mix  immediately  before  use  in  the  following  proportions  : 
60  parts  of  A ;  10  parts  of  B ;  1  part  of  C. 

For  Sepia  Tones. 

Double  the  time  of  exposure,  and  reduce  the  strength  of 
the  developer  one-lialf. 


For  Brown  Tones. 

A.  — Boiling  water,  ....  160  parts. 

Sulphite  of  sodium,  ...  60  parts. 

Carbonate  of  sodium,  30  parts. 

Pyro,  .....  10  parts. 

Dissolve  the  sodium  salts  in  the  water,  and  when  cold  add 
the  pyro. 

B.  — Water,  .....  60  parts. 

Bromide  of  potassium,  -  10  parts. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


77 


Mix  1  part  of  A  with  5  to  6  parts  of  water,  and  add  a  few 
drops  of  B.  Before  fixing,  immerse  each  print  for  five  min¬ 
utes  in  the  following  solution  : 

Sulphite  of  sodium,  ■)  ounce. 

Atum,  -  1^  ounces. 

Water,  ------  10  ounces 


Ferrous-Citro  Oxalate  Developer. 


A.  — Citrate  of  potassium. 

Oxalate  of  potassium, 

Water,  - 

B.  — Ferrous  sulphate, 

Water,  - 

Mix  equal  parts. 


700  grains. 

200  grains. 

3%  ounces. 
300  ounces. 
33^  ounces. 


Preserving  the  Ferrous  Oxalate  Developer. — It  is  claimed 
bv  La  Grange  and  Abernetter  that  tartaric  acid  keeps  ferrous 
sulphate  from  oxidation  better  than  any  other  acid,  and  1 
have  long  been  in  the  habit  of  renovating  old  developer  by 
pouring  it  into  a  white  glass  bottle,  adding  a  few  drops  of  a 
solution  of  tartaric  acid  in  water  (1  to  40),  and  placing  the 
bottle  in  full  sunlight  for  a  few  hours.  AVith  a  developer 
renovated  in  this  way,  I  have  successfully  developed  many 
dozens  of  bromide  prints. 

Hints. 


Mealy  Mottled  Prints — Over-exposure  and  short  develop¬ 
ment. 

Greenish  Tones — Over-exposure  and  too  much  bromide. 

Fixing  Use  fresh  hypo  solution  for  each  batch  of  prints. 
The  operator  can  tell  when  a  print  is  fixed  by  looking  through 
or  upon  it  in  a  good  light ;  unfixed  portions  will  be  a  greenish 
yellow. 

Do  not  dry  the  prints  between  blotters. 

Bock  the  tray  well  while  developing. 

Keep  the  prints  in  motion  while  in  the  fixing  bath. 

Be  very  sparing  in  the  use  of  bromide. 

Turn  the  prints  over  while  in  the  clearing  solution. 

Start  development  with  old  developer  5  finish  with  freshly 
mixed. 

A  jet  of  water  playing  in  the  surface  of  the  prints  will  be 
apt  to  cause  blisters. 


78 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


To  avoid  yellow  prints  four  tilings  are  absolutely  necessary  : 

First — The  developer  must  be  acid. 

Second — The  clearing  solution  must  be  used  as  directed. 

Third — Fresh  hypo  solution  is  required  for  fixing  each 
batch  of  prints. 

Fourth — The  washing  must  be  thorough  after  fixing. 

If  blisters  make  their  appearance  use  a  little  common  salt 
in  the  first  washing  water  after  fixing. 

Treating  Bromide  Prints  with  Platinum. 

M.  Leon  Yidal,  of  Paris,  has  lately  introduced  a  method  of 
treating  bromide  prints  with  platinum.  The  tone  thus  pro¬ 
duced  is  a  rich  bluish-black,  and  the  results  are,  presumably, 
permanent. 

The  following  is  the  method  recommended  by  M.  Yidal : 

Make  up  the  following  solutions  : 

1.  — Platinum  tetrachloride,  15  grains. 

Hydrochloric  acid  (C.  P.),  -  -  1  ounce. 

Water,  ------  70  ounces. 

2.  — Copper  chloride,  -----  2  grains. 

Water,  ------  24  ounces. 

The  prints  should  be  over-developed  and  washed  in  the 
usual  acid  bath ;  then  immerse  twenty  or  thirty  minutes  in 
Solution  ISTo.  1.  This  converts  the  silver  ima^e  into  one  in 
platinum. 

If  the  image  seems  in  danger  of  growing  too  intense,  the 
print  is  removed  from  Ho.  1  before  the  process  of  conversion 
is  completed,  and  placed  in  a  tray  containing  a  sufficient  quan¬ 
tity  of  Solution  Ho.  2.  The  effect  of  this  bath  is  to  convert 
any  unconverted  silver  into  the  white  chloride  of  silver,  thus 
enabling  one  to  judge  of  the  extent  of  the  change  from  silver 
into  platinum.  If  the  image  now  appears  too  weak,  the 
print  may  be  restored  by  development  in  the  usual  way  with 
ferrous  oxalate,  and  the  restored  image  again  treated  with 
Solution  Ho.  1.  In  this  way  no  difficulty  will  be  experienced 
in  obtaining  any  desired  degree  of  intensity  in  the  platinum 
bath. 

The  prints  after  treatment  and  washing  must  be  fixed  as 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


79 


usual.  The  process  is  interesting  from  a  chemical  point  of 
view,  and  the  results  obtained  by  it  are  very  pleasing. 

From  the  Photographischen  Mittheilungen,  for  April,  1887, 
I  take  the  following  description  of  C.  Vogel,  Jr.’s,  modifica¬ 
tion  of  Vidal’s  treatment  with  platinum  :  “  The  advantages  of 
this  modification  are  that  the  treatment  with  platinum  is  made 
after  fixing,  in  full  daylight,  and  that  the  tone  is  warmer. 

“After  development,  fixing,  and  a  twenty  minutes’  washing, 
the  print  is  immersed,  face  down,  for  fifteen  or  twenty  min¬ 
utes,  in  the  following  bath  : 

Potassio-platinic  chloride,  *  -  -  -  15  grains. 

Distilled  water,  -  -  -  -  -  32  ounces. 

Hydrochloric  acid  (C.  P.)  2  drams. 

u  It  is  then  washed  for  a  short  time  in  a  15  per  cent,  solution 
of  chloride  of  copper,  which  converts  the  silver  in  the  print 
into  chloride  of  silver  and  imparts  a  warmer  tone. 

“  If  the  print  is  too  weak  after  treatment  with  the  chloride 
of  copper,  it  is  redeveloped  with  ferrous  oxalate,  and,  after  a 
thorough  washing,  the  tone  is  strengthened  by  immersion  in 
the  cupric  chloride  bath  until  the  desired  strength  is  secured. 

u  The  print  is  then  fixed  in  hypo  for  five  minutes  to  dissolve 
out  the  remaining  chloride  of  silver,  passed  through  a  five  per 
cent,  alum  solution  acidulated  with  hydrochloric  acid,  and 
washed  for  twenty  minutes. 

“  Over-exposure  is  not  necessary  with  this  process,  and  the 
platinum  bath  can  be  used  repeatedly  by  occasionally  adding 
fresh  potassio-platinic  chloride.” 

In  order  to  bring  the  subject  of  bromide  prints  down  to 
date,  I  append  the  following  description  of  their  availability 
for  photo-engraving  purposes,  taken  from  the  Photographic 
Times  and  American  Photographer ,  of  April  29tli,  1887  : 

“Bromide  Prints  for  Photo-mechanical  Engraving.” 

“  There  seems  to  be  no  end  of  the  practical  applications  to 
which  bromide  paper  is  suited.  While  its  popularity  for  con¬ 
tact-printing  is  steadily  increasing,  and  its  use  for  making  por¬ 
trait-enlargements  is  growing  more  universal  every  day  among 
both  professional  and  amateur  photographers,  new  fields  of 
usefulness  are  constantly  presenting  themselves  ;  as  the  making 


80 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


of  quick  proofs  from  wet  negatives,  and  now,  by  tlie  bleaching 
process,  we  shall  describe  its  advantages  for  the  photo-engrav¬ 
er’s  use.  Heretofore  red  silver  prints  have  alone  been  at  the 
disposal  of  the  draughtsman.  How,  instead  of  these  prints 
upon  which  the  artist  made  his  outline  sketch  and  from  which 
the  photographic  half-tones  were  removed  by  bleaching  pre¬ 
paratory  to  its  reduction  to  a  “black-and-white”  negative  for 
photo-relief  work,  the  permanent  bromide  paper  of  Eastman 
is  proposed,  and  it  promises  to  work  more  satisfactorily  than 
either  of  its  predecessors. 

“  With  it  there  are  many  advantages.  Ordinary  photographs, 
rendered  into  lines,  are  generally  enlarged  to  three  or  four 
times  the  original  negative,  in  order  to  present  in  the  repro¬ 
duced  cut  the  drawing  of  the  artist  much  finer  and  more  deli' 
cate  than  it  was  on  the  original.  With  bromide  prints,  con¬ 
siderable  time  is  saved  by  making  the  magnified  positive  in 
one  operation.  This  does  away  with  the  making  of  a  glass 
positive  and,  from  it,  the  enlarged  negative  with  the  repeated 
focusing,  exposing,  developing,  fixing  and  consequent  printing, 
which  consumes  so  much  time. 

“  If  an  ordinary  cabinet-size  portrait  is  to  be  printed  in  the 
columns  of  a  newspaper  iu  its  original  dimensions,  the  negative 
or  positive  must  be  first  considerably  magnified  before  the 
print  can  be  made  in  the  ordinary  way.  With  bromide  paper, 
under  any  conditions,  it  requires  but  a  short  time  to  make  an 
enlarged  print,  and  thus  the  reduction  in  time  and  labor  is  ac¬ 
complished. 

“  The  ‘A’  paper  is  eminently  adapted  for  work  with  pen 
and  ink,  no  technical  difficulties  having  been  encountered  by 
those  who  have  tried  it.  Deep  blacks  can  be  piled  up  with 
ease,  and  the  finest  lines  or  stipple  are  at  the  command  of  the 
artist.  With  permanent  bromide  paper,  although  it  has  to  un¬ 
dergo  all  the  manipulations  of  developing,  fixing  and  washing, 
the  gelatine  surface  is  not  removed,  and  serves,  when  dry,  as 
a  strong  sizing.  This  solidity  or  hardness  is  exactly  what  the 
arrow-root  paper  has  never  been  able  to  give  satisfactorily, 
such  prints  having  been  refused  repeatedly,  as  being  too  soft 
and  spongy  for  the  making  of  ink  lines  of  excessive  sharpness 
and  exactitude.  The  ordinary  printing  paper,  especially  when 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


81 


sensitized  with,  ammonio-nitrate  of  silver,  lias  always  been  a 
source  of  annoyance  to  artist,  as  well  as  to  photographic 
printer. 

u  process  of  bleaching  out  bromide  prints  with  a  strong 
alcoholic  solution  of  bi-chloride  of  mercury  is  the  same  as  that 
with  other  papers,  and,  provided  all  hyposulphite  of  soda  has 
been  thoroughly  removed,  shows  as  clear  whites  as  are  required, 
from  which  to  copy  a  black  and  white  negative. 

u  As  regards  the  positive  black  cone  of  a  bromide  print,  ob¬ 
jections  might  be  raised  as  to  the  difficulty  of  seeing  distinctly 
enough  the  black  lines  or  dots  made  with  Indian  ink.  But  to 
do  away  with  this  difficulty  is  easy  enough.  In  exposure  and 
development,  the  paper  allows  so  much  latitude  that  a  perfect¬ 
ly  ashy-grey  tone,  even  in  the  deepest  shadows  of  the  negatives, 
is  at  the  command  of  the  photographer.  If,  however,  accus¬ 
tomed  taste  should  demand  the  inevitable  red  one,  this  color 
can  also  be  given  to  a  bromide  print,  sufficiently  bright  and  in¬ 
tense.  The  well-known  uranium  intensitier  answers  well  for 
this  purpose.  The  well-washed  print  need  only  to  be  soaked 
for  two  or  three  minutes  in  a  one  per  cent,  solution  of  nitrate 
of  uranium,  and,  after  having  been  removed  from  it,  a  few 
drops  of  a  two  per  cent,  solution  of  red  prussiate  of  potash  be 
added,  and  the  print  be  again  submerged  in  the  compound,  to 
at  once  assume  that  peculiar  reddish-brown  tint  which  results 
upon  negatives  from  the  uranium  intensitier.  The  process  is 
under  complete  control,  a  deeper  color  merely  depending  upon 
an  increased  amount  of  the  red  prussiate. 

u  Uranium-toned  prints  cannot,  however,  be  well  bleached 
with  bi-chloride  of  mercury,  as  a  yellow  tinge,  not  favorable 
to  the  subsequent  photographic  reproduction,  will  remain. 

“  Better  results  are  obtainable  with  cyanide  of  potassium. 
Preparatory  to  its  application  the  drawing  should  be  immersed 
in  a  weak  solution  of  iodine  in  alcohol  for  several  minutes,  and 
then  floated  with  an  alcoholic  solution  of  cyanide,  which  al¬ 
most  immediately  whitens  the  print. 

“  This  solution  may  be  made  by  adding  as  much  alcohol  to 
a  saturated  solution  of  cyanide  in  water,  as  it  will  take.  There 
is  but  little  taken  up  by  pure  alcohol,  but  in  its  mixed  state 
with  water,  strong  enough  of  alcohol  not  to  attack  the  Indian 


82 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


ink  work,  there  is  sufficient  strength  to  reduce  color  and  silver 
deposit.” 

Gelatino-Chloride  Paper  For  Development. 

The  following  method,  recommended  by  Mr.  B.  J.  Edwards, 
will  be  found  simple,  practical,  and  capable  of  yielding  the 
finest  results : 

The  Emulsion. 


1.  Gelatine,  -  300  grains. 

Cold  water,  -  -  ...  4  ounces. 

2. — Nitrate  of  silver,  -  -  -  240  grains. 

Distilled  water,-  ....  2  ounces. 

3.  — Chloride  of  ammonium,  -  .  100  grains. 

Water,  -  -  ...  4  ounces. 


Mix  separately.  Soak  the  gelatine  for  fifteen  minutes  ;  then 
warm  all  the  solutions  to  about  120  deg.  Fahr.  Kow  by  yellow 
light  add  the  silver  solution  to  the  gelatine,  and  then  the  chlo¬ 
ride,  adding  gradually,  with  constant  stirring.  Keep  the 
emulsion  at  a  temperature  of  120  deg.  Fahr.  for  an  hour,  then 
allow  it  to  set.  When  set,  wash  as  described  above  for  bromide 
of  silver  emulsion.  Then  melt,  add  one  ounce  of  alcohol  and 
one-half  an  ounce  of  gelatine,  and  filter.  The  emulsion  is 
now  ready  for  coating  the  paper,  which  is  done  precisely  as  in 
the  case  of  the  bromide  emulsion,  except  that  ordinary  gas  or 
kerosene  light  may  be  used. 

Development. 

Make  a  stock  solution,  as  follows : 

Citric  acid> . 5  ounces. 

Distilled  water,  -  -  .  -  '  -  20  ounces. 

Strong  ammonia,  -  2  ounces. 

Three  parts  of  this,  mixed  with  one  part  of  the  ordinary 
ferrous  oxalate  developer,  form  the  developer. 

With  medium  exposure  this  developer  will  give  a  rich  pur¬ 
ple  tone.  For  black  tones,  give  a  shorter  exposure,  and  de- 
^  elop  with  equal  parts  of  the  above  solution  and  the  ferrous 
oxalate  developer.  By  decreasing  the  strength  of  the  devel¬ 
oper,  any  shade  of  color  from  black  to  ruby-red  may  be  ob- 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


83 


tained.  The  warmer  tones  are  produced  by  adding  six  or 
eight  parts  of  the  citrate  of  ammonia  solution  to  one  part  of 
the  ferrous  oxalate. 

It  is  well  to  begin  development  with  a  solution  weak  in  fer¬ 
rous  oxalate,  adding  more  if  needed. 

The  fixing  is  done  in  the  usual  hyposulphite  of  soda  bath, 
1  to  6. 

This  method  is  strongly  recommended  to  amateurs,  on  ac¬ 
count  of  the  great  range  of  beautiful  tones  which  may  be  given 
to  the  prints. 


Wellington’s  Method  With  CiTRrc  Acid. 
The  Emulsion. 


!• — Chloride  of  sodium,  ...  20  grains 

Bromide  of  potassium,  -  -  .40  grains. 

Citric  acid,  ....  100  grains. 

Soft  gelatine,  -  -  -  40  grains. 

Water,  *  3  ounces. 

2.— Nitrate  of  silver,  -  .  .  -  100  grains, 

Citric  acid,  100  grains. 

^ater>  3  ounces. 


No.  2  is  to  be  added  to  No.  1  in  a  fine  stream  with  constant 
stirring,  both  solutions  having  been  previously  raised  to  a  tem¬ 
perature  of  150  deg.  Fahr.  To  the  emulsion  thus  formed,  add 
200  grains  of  hard  gelatine  which  has  been  well  swelled  in 
cold  water.  Stir  until  the  gelatine  is  dissolved.  Then  allow 
the  emulsion  to  set,  after  which  it  is  to  be  broken  up  and 
washed  as  usual.  The  emulsion  is  now  melted,  one-half  ounce 
of  alcohol  and  two  drams  of  glycerine  added,  and  the  emulsion 
filtered.  Coat  the  paper  as  described  above. 

This  emulsion  will  be  found  very  slow.  Twelve  to  fifteen 
minutes’  exposure  to  the  light  of  a  kerosene  lamp  will  not  be 
excessive  with  negatives  of  ordinary  density. 

The  Development. 

The  following  solutions  are  made  up  : 

1. — Oxalate  of  potassium, 

Chloride  of  ammonium, 

Water,  .... 


2  ounces. 
40  grains. 
20  ounces. 


84 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


2.  — Ferrous  sulphate,  -  -  4  drams. 

Citric  acid,  ....  2  drams. 

Water,  -  -  -  -  -  20  drams. 

3.  — Bromide  of  potassium,  ...  1  ounce. 

Water,  -  -  -  -  -  •  -  3  ounces. 

Mix  equal  parts  of  Nos.  1  and  2  and  add  one  ounce  of  No.  $ 
to  eacli  ounce  of  developer. 

The  image  should  appear  in  about  one  minute,  and  with 
correct  exposure,  development  will  be  complete  in  about  five 
minutes. 

After  development,  rinse  the  prints  in  three  or  four  changes 
of  water  and  place  in  a  strong  solution  of  alum  for  ten  minutes. 
They  are  again  well  washed,  and  toned  in  the  following  bath  : 

Acetate  of  soda,  ....  30  grains. 

Chloride  of  gold,  -  -  -  -  -  1  grain. 

Chloride  of  lime,  ....  3  grains. 

Boiling  water,  -  -  -  -  6  ounces. 

The  bath  is  ready  for  use  as  soon  as  cold.  Leave  the  prints 
in  this  bath  until  they  assume  a  strong  purple  tint.  Fix  for 
ten  minutes  in  a  1  to  10  solution  of  hyposulphite.  The  fin¬ 
ished  prints  will  have  a  beautiful  pink  tone. 


Eder’s  Method. 
The  Emulsion.. 


1.  — Gelatine, 

Chloride  of  sodium, 
Water,  - 

2.  — Nitrate  of  silver,  - 

Water,  - 


360  grains. 
108  grains. 

6i  ounces. 
231  grains. 
3£  ounces. 


The  gelatine  is  first  swelled  and  then  dissolved  in  the  six 
and  one-half  ounces  of  water,  and  the  chloride  of  sodium  is 
then  added.  The  nitrate  solution  is  then  added  gradually  to 
the  gelatine  solution  at  a  temperature  of  104  deg.  Falir.  The 
emulsion  is  allowed  to  set,  divided  up,  and  washed  in  the  same 
manner  as  other  emulsions. 

It  is  then  melted,  ten  per  cent,  of  alcohol  and  glycerine 
added  and  then  filtered,  and  the  paper  coated  in  the  usual 
manner. 

Development  is  best  effected  with  the  citrate  of  ammonia 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


85 


and  ferrous  sulphate  solution  given  below,  although  the  ordi¬ 
nary  ferrous  oxalate  developer  will  answer. 

Ferrous  Citrate  Developer. 

A.  — Stock  Solution. 

Pour  TOO  parts  of  water  upon  150  parts  of  citric  acid,  and 
add  160  parts  of  strong  ammonia.  Test  the  solution  with  lit¬ 
mus  paper,  and,  if  not  alkaline,  add  ammonia  until  it  is  so. 
Then  add  100  parts  additional  of  citric  acid. 

B.  — The  Developer. 

Sulphate  of  iron  (sat.  sol.),  -  -  -  30  parts. 

Stock  solution,  -  .  .  .  -  90  parts. 

Chloride  of  sodium  solution  (1  to  30)  -  -  2  or  3  parts. 

The  image  at  first  assumes  a  light  yellow  tint,  which  changes 
to  a  reddish  brown  and  finally  to  a  deep  black.  By  diluting 
the  developer  with  2  or  3  volumes  of  water,  a  bright  red  tone 
can  be  obtained. 

Fix  in  a  1-16  hypo  solution. 

The  tone  of  the  prints  will  be  greatly  improved  if  they  are 
toned  after  fixing  in  the  following  bath : 


1.  — Sulpho-cyanide  of  ammonium,  -  308  grains. 

Hyposulphite  of  soda,  -  -  30  “ 

Water,  -----  17£ 

ounces. 

2. — Chloride  of  gold,  -  -  -  8  grains. 

Water,  -----  lTi  ounces. 


These  solutions  are  to  be  mixed  before  using,  adding  No.  1 
to  No.  2.  This  bath  will  keep  good  for  a  week  or  more,  and 
may  be  strengthened  by  adding  fresh  gold.  The  toning  must 
be  stopped  as  soon  as  the  right  shade  is  seen. 

As  a  rule,  any  of  the  toning  baths  given  in  the  chapter  on 
Toning  may  be  used  for  toning  chloride  of  silver  prints,  notably 
the  “  Chautauqua  ”  bath.  It  is  advisable  to  harden  the  film  pre¬ 
vious  to  toning  by  immersing  the  plate  in  a  solution  of 
alum. 

Gelatino-Chloride  Printing -Out  Paper. 

Paper  coated  with  these  emulsions  is  to  be  printed  in  dif¬ 
fused  sunlight  just  as  albumen  paper  is  printed.  The  printing 
should  be  deep. 


86 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Mr.  J.  Barker’s  Method. 


Gelatine  (hard  and  soft,  equal  parts),  -  175  grains. 

Chloride  of  ammonium,  -  -  -  -  18  “ 

Rochelle  salts,  -  -  -  -  50  “ 

Nitrate  of  silver,  -  -  -  -  75  “ 

Alcohol,  -  2  drams. 

Water,  ------  5  ounces. 


By  using  an  orange-yellow  bottle,  all  the  following  opera¬ 
tions  can  be  performed  in  daylight.  Pour  the  water  into  the 
bottle,  add  the  salts  and  then  the  gelatine  ;  allow  the  mixture 
to  stand  about  fifteen  minutes  to  swell  the  gelatine,  then  dis¬ 
solve  at  a  temperature  of  100  deg.  Fahr.  When  the  gelatine  is 
dissolved,  add  the  silver,  in  crystals,  all  at  once,  put  in  the 
cork,  and  gently  shake  the  bottle  for  several  minutes.  Emulsify 
at  100  deg.  Fahr.  for  ten  minutes,  then  add  the  alcohol.  The 
emulsion  is  now  allowed  to  set,  then  broken  up  and  washed 
slightly  in  two  or  three  changes  of  water.  It  is  then  melted, 
two  drams  of  glycerine  added,  the  emulsion  filtered,  and  the 
paper  coated  by  yellow  light. 

Printing,  Toning,  and  Fixing. 

Print  slightly  darker  than  required.  Chloride  prints  should 
not  be  examined  in  white  light.  T  ellow  light,  however,  will 
not  injure  them.  When  finished,  wash  for  five  minutes  in 
two  changes  of  water,  and  immerse  a  few  minutes  in  the  fol¬ 
lowing  solution  : 

Sulpho-cyanide  of  ammonium,  -  -  1  ounce. 

Water,  -  -  -  .  .  -  20  ounces. 

The  prints  are  taken  from  this  bath  directly  to  the  toning 
bath,  which  may  be  any  of  those  given  in  the  chapter  on 
Toning.  Fix  for  twenty  minutes  in  a  1  to  16  solution  of  hypo¬ 
sulphite  of  soda. 

The  Collodio-Chloride  Process. 

Place  123f  grains  of  nitrate  of  silver  in  a  glass  beaker,  pour 
over  it  92  drops  of  distilled  water  and  dissolve  by  heat.  Drop 
this  solution  into  a  bottle  containing  10  drams  of  alcohol. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS.  87 

Then  add  123*  grains  of  soluble  gun  cotton,  and  after  thor¬ 
ough  shaking,  5£  ounces  of  ether ;  shake  well  until  a  grayish- 
white  collodion  forms. 

In  another  bottle  dissolve  15^-  grains  of  chloride  of  lithium, 
and  15^  grains  of  tartaric  acid,  in  10  drams  of  alcohol.  This 
solution  is  to  be  added  to  the  first,  drop  by  drop,  with  constant 
stiiring.  The  collodion  thus  formed  will  keep  indefinitely  in 
a  tightly-corked  bottle  stored  in  a  dark  place. 


Coating  the  Paper. 


Fasten  a  knob  to  a  piece  of  thin  wood  of  the  same  size  as 
the  paper  to  be  coated.  Enamelled  paper  is  then  pinned  to 
this  at  three  of  the  corners,  allowing  the  paper  to  project 
about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  beyond  the  wood  at  the  right  hand 
and  lower  edges,  which  may  be  turned  up  a  little  if°desired. 
Hold  the  wooden  support  by  the  knob  in  the  left  hand,  and 
pour  the  collodio-chloride  upon  it  in  sufficient  quantity  to  cover 
well.  After  gently  rocking  for  a  minute  or  two,  return  the 
sui plus  collodion  to  the  bottle  and  hang  the  paper  up  to  dry. 
The  paper  will  keep  good  for  some  weeks. 

If  good  enamel  paper  cannot  be  had,  paper  coated  with  the 
following  emulsion  will  give  good  results  : 


1.  — Nitrate  of  barium, 

Hot  water,  - 

2.  — Sulphate  of  soda, 

Hot  water,  - 


li  ounces. 
10  ounces. 
2  ounces. 
10  ounces. 


Filter  each  solution  through  closely-woven  muslin,  and  then 
mix  them.  Allow  the  white  dejaosit  formed  to  settle ;  then 
draw  off  the  water  as  closely  as  possible.  Add  sufficient  hot 
water  to  fill  the  vessel,  allow  the  precipitate  to  settle  again, 
and  pour  off  the  clear  liquid.  Repeat  this  five  or  six  times, 
and  then  make  up  to  15  fluid  ounces  with  water.  Add  two 
ounces  of  white  gelatine  and  dissolve  by  gentle  heat.  Then 
add  one  ounce  of  water  in  which  15  grains  of  chrome  alum 
have  been  dissolved,  and  lastly,  two  drams  of  glacial  acetic 
acid,  which  must  be  well  stirred  in. 

The  enamel  substratum  is  now  ready  for  applving  to  the 
paper,  either  by  floating  the  paper  upon  it,  or,  preferably,  by 


88 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


coating  the  paper  with  it,  as  described  in  the  section  on  bro¬ 
mide  paper.  The  paper  must  be  thoroughly  dried  before 
applying  the  collodion. 

Collodio-chloride  paper  should  not  be  printed  as  deeply 
as  albumen  paper,  as  the  prints  lose  very  little  vigor 
during  the  subsequent  operations.  As  soon  as  the  deepest 
shadows  just  begin  to  bronze,  the  prints  are  removed  from  the 
frames  and  stored  in  a  dry  place,  protected  from  air  and  light. 
"When  thus  protected,  they  may  be  kept  for  weeks  before 
toning. 

Toning. 

First  wash  the  prints  in  three  changes  of  water,  face 
downwards,  to  avoid  spotting  of  the  whites.  When  the  wash¬ 
ing  is  complete  they  are  toned  in  the  following  bath : 

1.  — Sulpho-cyanide  of  ammonium,  10  drams. 

Distilled  water,  -  -  -  -  GO  ounces. 

Hyposulphite  of  soda,  -  -  -  9  grains. 

2.  — Chloride  of  gold,  -  -  -  22  grains. 

Water,  -----  60  ounces- 

These  are  stock  solutions  and  will  keep. 

To  make  the  toning  bath,  mix  No.  1  and  No.  2  in  equal  parts, 
pouring  No.  2  into  No.  1,  and  add  a  teaspoonful  of  chalk. 
The  bath  should  be  made  up  some  hours  before  wanted  for 
use. 

The  prints  are  immersed  in  the  bath  one  at  a  time.  The 
color  will  change  into  yellow,  then  into  brown  and  purplish- 
brown.  As  soon  as  this  color  is  seen,  the  prints  are  placed  in  the 
fixing  bath  :  hypo,  1  ounce  ;  water,  12  ounces  ;  10  minutes’  im¬ 
mersion  is  sufficient  to  secure  perfect  fixation.  Wash  for  one 
or  two  hours. 

The  following  method  will  be  found  the  best  for  trimming 
the  prints  preparatory  to  mounting.  The  prints  are,  if  dry, 
soaked  in  clean  cold  water  until  perfectly  fiat ;  the  trimming 
glass  is  laid  upon  the  face  of  the  prints,  and  both  removed 
from  the  water.  The  print  is  then  adjusted  on  the  glass,  and 
its  edges  cut  with  a  pair  of  long-bladed  shears.  By  this  method 
of  trimming,  the  delicate  surface  of  the  prints  will  not  be  in¬ 
jured.  The  prints  should  be  dried  before  mounting,  which  is 
best  done  with  the  following  mountant : 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


89 


Dissolve  2  ounces  of  gelatine  in  10  ounces  of  water,  and 
pour  in  one  ounce  of  alcohol,  stirring  all  the  time. 

In  the  finished  print  there  is  a  greater  range  of  gradation 
than  in  an  albumen  print,  therefore  it  is  that  good  collodio- 
chloride  may  be  printed  from  even  weak  negatives. 

A  very  high  gloss  and  neat  surface  can  be  given  to  the 
prints  by  drying  them  on  glass.  A  clean  glass  plate,  quite 
dry,  is  powdered  over  with  talc  and  rubbed  off  with  a  pad  of 
cotton  wool ;  then  it  is  dusted.  A  sufficient  quantity  of  the 
talc  remains  to  facilitate  the  separation  of  the  print  when  dry. 
The  wet  print  is  laid  on  the  glass,  face  down ;  it  is  then 
rubbed  under  a  few  sheets  of  blotting  paper,  and  lastly  with  an 
india  rubber  squeegee.  After  the  print  has  become  quite  dry, 
it' is  removed  from  the  glass.  From  a  mat  glass  it  comes  off 
with  a  mat  surface. 


00 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MOUNTING  THE  PRINTS. 

^  mounting  prints,  several  important  points  must  be  con- 
sidered.  The  mount  itself  is,  of  course,  the  most  important 
consideration,  as  it  may  contain  chemical  substances  injurious 
to  the  permanency  of  the  print,  and  its  color  may  detract  from 
the  beauty  of  an  otherwise  charming  picture.  For  both  these 
reasons  I  would  strongly  advise  the  rejection  of  the  plain 
white  mounts  so  much  used.  They  are  very  apt  to  contain 
injurious  chemicals,  and  they  certainly  destrov  in  great  degree 
the  pictorial  elfect  of  the  picture.  A  white  border  adds  very 
little  to  the  light  and  shade  of  the  photograph  and  diminishes 
its  brilliancy. 

Nothing  can  be  better  both  as  a  safeguard  to  permanency 
and  an  aid  to  pictorial  effect  than  a  mount  of  a  pale,  neutral 
gray.  The  color  is  soft,  pleasing,  and  harmonizes  well  with 
the  tones  of  the  picture.  The  tint  is  alike  suitable  for  exhibi¬ 
tion  purposes,  for  framing,  or  for  the  formation  of  albums. 

A  second  consideration  is  the  size  of  the  mount.  For  most 
purposes  it  will  be  found  best  to  select  a  mount  about  half  the 
size  of  the  print  larger  each  way,  thus  giving  a  margin  of  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  on  each  side.  If  the  photographer’s  name 
and  the  title  of  the  picture  are  to  be  written  or  printed  below, 
it  is  well  to  allow  one-eiglith  of  an  inch  more  margin  at  the 
bottom  than  at  the  to]). 

I  know  of  no  better  way  of  placing  the  print  in  its  proper 
position  on  the  mount  than  to  rule  lines  one-quarter  of  an  inch 
apart  on  the  four  sides  of  a  stiff  card  somewhat  larger  than  the 
largest  mount  likely  to  be  used.  These  lines  should  be  num¬ 
bered,  beginning  with  the  line  nearest  the  centre,  and  each 
side  of  the  rectangle  formed  by  any  four  of  these  lines  must 
have  the  same  number. 

To  use  this  mounting  board,  the  mount  is  first  of  all  laid 
down  on  it  in  order  to  determine  the  number  on  the  fines 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


91 


nearest  its  edges  when  the  mount  is  accurately  centered.  This, 
done,  the  mount  is  removed,  and  the  print,  which  should  have 
previously  received  a  coating  of  the  mounting  medium,  is 
placed  face  down  on  the  mounting- board  and  centered,  using 
the  ruled  lines  as  guides.  The  mount  is  now  carefully  placed 
over  the  print  with  its  edges  at  the  lines  previously  noted  as 
the  proper  ones,  and  pressed  firmly  down  upon  the  print.  Now 
remove  the  mount,  and  the  print  will  be  found  adhering  to  it 
in  the  proper  position.  All  that  now  remains  to  be  done  is  to 
lay  a  clean  piece  of  blotting  paper  over  the  print,  and  with  a 
roller  or  the  palm  of  the  hand  gently  remove  all  air  bells  or 
wrinkles.  A  very  effective  way  of  doing  this  is  to  polish  a 
piece  of  very  thin  brass,  of  a  size  corresponding  to  the  size  of 
the  mount,  with  French  chalk,  and  to  lay  it,  polished  side 
down,  over  the  print ;  inclose  the  whole  in  a  piece  of  folded 
card-board  large  enough  to  cover  both  sides  of  the  mount,  and 
pass  the  whole  through  the  rollers  of  a  wringing  machine 
tightly  screwed  down.  This  will  cement  the  print  firmly  and 
smoothly  to  the  mount.  Of  course,  the  possession  of  a  burn¬ 
isher  makes  this  method  useless. 

Treatment  of  the  Prints. 

Before  mounting,  the  prints  previously  trimmed,  should  be 
soaked  in  clean  water  until  they  lie  flat ;  the  surface  water  is 
then  drained  away,  the  prints  blotted  and  laid  face  down,  one 
upon  another  on  a  clean  piece  of  glass.  The  mounting  medium 
is  then  evenly  and  thoroughly  applied  by  means  of  a  stiff,  flat 
brush  or  sponge  thrust  into  the  mouth  of  a  wide-mouthed 
bottle.  The  prints  are  now  ready  to  be  placed  on  the  mounts. 

The  Mounting  Medium. 

Many  formulas  have  been  given  for  making  mounting 
mediums  5  some  of  the  best  of  these  are  here  given  ; 

Starch  Paste . — Place  a  large  teaspoonful  of  pure  white 
starch  in  a  cup,  with  sufficient  cold  water  to  cover  it.  After 
two  or  three  minutes’  soaking,  the  cup  is  filled  with  boiling 
water  and  the  starch  well  stirred. 

Glue  Paste. — Take  clean,  light  glue,  and  shred  it.  Soak 
for  five  or  six  hours  in  enough  water  to  cover  it.  Then  pour 


92  PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 

off  the  water,  and  add  fresh.  Dissolve  bv  heat.  After  thin- 
ning  down  to  the  proper  consistency  Avith  warm  water,  it  is 
ready  for  use. 

Gelatine  Paste — will  not  cockle  the  prints. 

Eighty  grains  of  soft  gelatine  are  soaked  in  3  drams  of  water 
and  dissolved  by  gentle  heat ;  Avhen  solution  is  complete,  2 
ounces  of  alcohol  are  added.  When  cool,  this  sets  into  a  jelly, 
and  can  be  used  bv  melting;  it  in  a  Avater  bath. 

W.  J.  Stillman’s  Mountant. 

One  ounce  of  gelatine  is  soaked  for  seA’eral  hours  in  cold 
water.  The  water  is  then  drained  off  as  completely  as  possible, 
and  the  swelled  gelatine  is  placed  in  a  wide-mouthed  bottle 
and  the  bulk  made  up  to  10  ounces  with  alcohol ;  half  an 
ounce  of  glycerine  is  then  added,  and  the  bottle  placed  in  hot 
Avater  until  solution  is  effected,  the  contents  of  the  bottle  being 
occasionally  stirred.  This  mountant  will  keep  indefinitely, 
and  only  needs  to  be  heated  when  wanted  for  use. 

Mounting  in  Optical  Contact  avith  Glass. 

A  method  of  mounting  is  now  to  be  described  which  is  re¬ 
markable  for  the  softness  and  brilliancy  Avhich  it  imparts  to 
the  prints  and  for  the  amount  of  detail  in  the  sliadoAvs  Avhich 
it  brings  out. 

Optical  contact  is  an  expression  used  to  denote  the  close 
union  which  takes  place  between  a  print  and  a  piece  of  glass, 
when  the  former  is  squeegeed  to  the  latter. 

In  the  case  of  bromide  or  chloride  prints  nothing  further  is 
necessary  than  to  immerse  both  print  and  glass  in  a  dish  of  clean 
water,  the  print  abo\re  the  glass.  When  the  former  lies  perfectly 
limp  and  flat,  the  glass  is  gently  raised  by  one  end  and  lifted 
from  the  dish,  carrying  the  print  with  its  face  in  contact  Avith 
the  glass.  The  back  of  the  print  is  coA^ered  with  a  piece  of 
rubber  cloth  and  the  squeegee  used  to  remoAm  possible  air 
bells  and  wrinkles.  Then  set  aside  to  dry.  The  beauty  and 
brilliancy  of  prints  so  mounted  Avill  be  a  surprise  and  delight 
to  those  Avho  haA'e  never  seen  them. 

When  albumen  prints  are  to  be  mounted  in  optical  contact, 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


93 


it  is  necessary  to  give  both  the  prints  and  the  mounting  glass 
a  preliminary  treatment  with  a  warm  solution  of  gelatine. 

T"  o  ounces  of  soft  gelatine  are  soaked  in  cold  water  until 
soft  5  boiling  water  is  then  poured  on  the  softened  gelatine  in 
sufficient  quantity  to  make  a  rather  thick  solution.  When  the 
gelatine  is  all  dissolved  the  solution  is  filtered  through  muslin 
into  a  clean  porcelain  or  glass  tray  standing  in  a  hot  water 
bath. 

The  prints  should  previously  have  been  trimmed  slightly 
smaller  than  the  glasses  on  which  they  are  to  be  mounted,  and 
soaked  in  cold  water.  The  glasses  must  be  perfectly  clean  and 
free  from  scratches  and  other  markings.  Plate  or  patent  plate 
glass  is  the  best  to  use. 

Take  one  of  the  glasses  and  place  it  in  the  warm  gelatine 
solution,  leaving  it  there  until  it  assumes  the  temperature  of 
the  bath. 

One  of  the  prints  is  then  taken  from  the  water  in  which  it 
has  been  soaking,  and  placed  face  down  in  the  gelatine  above 
the  glass,  allow  it  to  remain  in  the  solution  half  a  minute  or 
so,  care  being  taken  that  every  part  of  it  is  saturated  with  the 
solution. 

The  glass  is  now  raised  from  the  bath,  carrying  the  print 
with  it.  With  a  squeegee  remove  all  excess  of  gelatine,  allowing 
it  to  run  back  into  the  dish.  In  the  same  wray  remove  all  excess 
of  gelatine  from  the  face  of  the  glass.  Lay  it  aside  to  set, 
then  with  a  clean  sponge  dipped  in  hot  water  clean  the  glass, 
but  do  not  touch  the  back  of  the  print.  Wlien  thoroughly  dry, 
clean  the  face  of  the  glass,  and  the  mount  is  finished,  unless 
you  wish  to  protect  your  print  still  further  from  all  chances  of 
deterioration  by  covering  the  back  of  the  print  with  a  second 
glass,  binding  the  edge  with  the  material  sold  for  binding 
lantern  slides. 

Well-washed  prints  mounted  in  this  way  are  as  safe  from  all 
chances  of  change  as  it  is  possible  to  make  them,  I  believe,  and 

J  ^  far  more  beautiful  than  prints  mounted  on  card-board. 

If  it  is  desired  to  frame  prints  mounted  in  this  way,  take 
card  board  of  the  size  and  color  desired,  cut  a  rectangular  open- 
ingin  the  center  half  an  inch  smaller  than  the  glass  on  which 
the  print  is  mounted.  This  will  allow  the  glass  to  overlap  the 


$4 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


opening  a  quarter  of  an  inch  all  around.  Lav  the  glass  in  posi¬ 
tion  on  the  back  of  the  card-board  and  draw  a  line  completely 
around  it.  Using  this  line  as  a  guide,  glue  strips  of  cardboard 
on  the  hack  of  the  mat,  thus  making  a  well  in  which  the  glass 
mount  will  he  securely  held  when  the  backboard  is  tacked  in. 


Mounting  on  Plate  Paper. 

The  most  artistic  method  of  mounting  on  card  or  paper  is  to 
mount  on  plain  white  plate  q>aper,  with  the  plate-mark  sunk  in, 
as  in  the  case  of  engravings. 

This  style  of  mounting  is  especially  adapted  to  bromide  or 
platinotype  prints,  as  it  adds  very  much  to  their  engraving-like 
appearance. 

The  directions  which  follow  will  enable  the  operator  to  mount 
prints  in  this  way  without  any  great  difficulty. 

The  only  novelty  about  the  method  is  the  production  of  the 
plate-mark  which  in  large  printing  establishments  is  done  by 
means  of  metal  plates  and  expensive  machinery.  The  amateur, 
however,  can  produce  as  good  results  with  card-board  and  an 
ordinary  copying  press. 

To  make  the  plate-mark,  procure  a  piece  of  thick  hard 
card-board,  and  cut  it  one  inch  longer  and  one  and  one-half 
inches  wider  than  the  prints  to  be  mounted.  Do  this  neatly 
and  accurately,  using  a  square  to  get  the  corners  true  and 
square.  Pound  off  the  corners  with  a  sharp  knife.  This  is 
the  plate  used  for  making  the  plate-mark. 

Mount  the  print  on  the  paper  with  one  of  the  gelatine 
mountants  given  above.  Then  lay  over  the  print  a  piece 
of  glass  cut  to  the  size  of  the  card-board  ])late.  Carefully 
adjust  it  over  the  print  to  leave  a  margin  of  one-half  an  inch 
on  each  side  of  the  print,  five-eighths  of  an  inch  at  the  top,  and 
seven-eighths  at  the  bottom.  Draw  a  light  pencil  line  around 
the  two  upper  corners  to  insure  the  plate-board  being  placed 
in  the  exact  position  occupied  by  the  glass.  Peinove  the  glass, 
substitute  for  it  the  plate-board,  and  place  under  a  copving- 
press  with  two  or  three  felt  pads  laid  over  the  mount,  and  screw 
down  as  tightly  as  possible.  Leave  the  mount  under  pressure 
for  some  time  to  get  a  good  impression. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS.  95 

The  size  and  shape  of  the  plate-board  may  be  varied  to  suit 
the  taste  of  the  operator,  giving  more  or  less  margin  than  the  one 
described  above.  Heavy  drawing  paper  can  beused  instead  of 
plate  paper,  and  it  will  be  found  to  give  good  results. 


96 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CARBON  PRINTING. 

The  name  of  carbon  prints  is  applied  to  images  produced  on 
a  paper  coated  with  a  gelatine  solution  containing  a  pigment 
of  the  desired  color,  which,  after  drying,  is  sensitized  in  a  bath 
of  bichromate  of  potassium. 

Prints  in  carbon  are  undoubtedly  as  permanent  as  the  sub' 
tratum  on  which  they  are  made,  if  refined  lamp-black  be 
used ;  if  other  pigments  are  employed,  the  permanency  of  the 
resulting  prints  depends  upon  the  nature  of  the  pigment. 

The  possibility  of  working  the  process  depends  upon  the  fact 
that  the  effect  of  light  upon  a  gelatinous  mixture  containing 
bichromate  of  potassium,  is  to  make  those  parts  affected  by  it 
insoluble  in  water. 

If,  therefore,  paper  prepared  as  above  be  exposed  to  light 
beneath  a  negative,  and  then  immersed  in  hot  water,  those 
parts  upon  which  the  light  has  not  acted  will  be  dissolved, 
while  the  rest  will  remain  attached  to  the  paper. 

The  prints  are  produced  by  single  or  double  transfer ;  the 
former,  when  reversed  negatives  are  used;  the  latter  when  ordi¬ 
nary  negatives  are  employed.  In  both  cases  the  same  carbon 
tissue  is  used. 

The  Negatives. 

Negatives  capable  of  giving  good  prints  on  silver  paper  will 
yield  satisfactory  results  on  carbon  tissues.  Thin  negatives 
should  be  coated  on  the  back  with  the  following  mat  varnish, 
which  is  to  be  preferred  to  tissue  paper  since  it  allows  those 
parts  of  the  negative  which  must  remain  transparent  to  be 
cleaned  by  the  local  application  of  mastic  varnish  with  a  brush, 
and  also  because  it  gives  a  good  surface  for  retouching.  The 
formula  for  the  mat  varnish  is  as  follows: 

Dissolve  one  dram  of  powdered  sandarac  in  fourteen  drams 
of  ether ;  add  fifteen  grains  of  Canada  balsam,  and  five  or  six 
drams  of  pure  benzine,  and  filter.  The  varnish  is  to  be  flowed 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS.  97 

over  the  back  of  the  negative,  which  is  not  to  be  warmed.  It 
will  dry  within  two  hours. 

_  ^ie  varnish  may  be  tested  by  spreading  a  few  drops  on  a 
piece  of  cold  glass  and  allowing  it  to  dry.  When  dry,  it 
should  have  the  appearance  of  ground  glass.  If  the  grain  is 
too  fine,  add  one  or  two  drams  of  benzine. 

If  more  density  is  desired,  flow  the  varnish  over  the  nega¬ 
tive  a  second  time. 

Retouching  may  be  done  on  this  varnish  with  the  stump  and 
plumbago,  with  a  crayon  or  with  a  pencil. 

Reversed  Negatives. 

#  A  method  of  stripping  films  from  glass  for  reversed  nega¬ 
tives  will  be  found  in  the  Chapter  on  Photo-Ceramics.  Re¬ 
’s  ersed  negatives  may  be' easily  obtained  in  the  camera  by  expos¬ 
ing  the  plate  with  the  glass  side  towards  the  lens,  making  the 
necessary  correction  in  focusing  for  the  thickness  of  the  glass. 

Drying  the  Sensitized  Tissue. 

The  paper  may  be  suspended  by  means  of  spring  clips  at 
the  two  upper  corners.  This  method  will  answer  for  the  smal¬ 
ler  sizes,  but  when  large  sheets  are  to  be  dried  it  is  safer  to 
adopt  the  following  method  :  A  thin  piece  of  wood,  one  inch 
wide,  is  placed  across  one  end  of  the  sensitizing  trav, 
one  end  of  the  tissue  is  raised  from  the  bath,  and 
jilaced  upon  the  wood;  a  second  strip  of  the  same 

size  is  laid  upon  the  paper,  and  the  two 
strips  of  wood  are  fastened  together  with 
clips.  The  paper  may  now  be  hung  up  to 
dry,  without  fear  of  its  tearing.  To  pre¬ 
vent  curling  of  the  tissue  as  it  dries,  a  thin 
strip  of  wood  to  which  two  clips  have  been 
attached,  should  be  clipped  to  the  lower 
edge  of  the  paper. 

The  cut  will  make  the  description  clear. 
The  drying  may  be  hastened  by  immers¬ 
ing  the  sensitized  tissue  in  an  alcohol  bath, 

01  it  may  be  placed,  face  down,  upon  a  piece  of  well-cleaned 
glass,  then  covered  with  rubber  cloth. and  lightly  squeegeed; 
it  is  then  removed  from  the  glass  and  hung  up  to  dry. 


98 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Developing  Trays. 

When  only  a  few  pieces  of  the  tissue  are  to  he  developed, 
the  arrangement  figured  below  will  be  found  very  convenient. 
It  consists  of  a  table  large  enough  to  hold  two  trays  of  suit¬ 
able  size,  one  for  hot  water  and  the  other  for  cold.  The 
water  is  warmed  by  a  small  oil  stove,  not  shown  in  the  cut. 


For  work  on  a  large  scale,  vertical  hatlis  are  used,  in  which 
many  pieces  of  tissue  can  he  developed  together,  the  pieces  of 
tissue  being  suspended  in  the  water. 

Formulae. 

No.  1. — For  Single  Transfer. 

Hard  gelatine,  -----  4  ounces. 

Water,  ------  25  ounces. 

When  dissolved,  add  seventy-five  grains  of  chrome  alum 
dissolved  in  five  ounces  of  water,  and  enough  acetic  acid  to  re¬ 
store  fluidity. 

No.  2. — For  Double  Transfer. 

Hard  gelatine,  -----  4  ounces. 

Fine  sulphate  of  baryta,  -  -  -  -  2  ounces. 

Water,  -  -  -  -  -  -  20  ounces. 

Mix  thoroughly  and  stir  in  a  solution  of  twelve  and  one-half 
grains  of  chrome  alum  in  one  ounce  of  water. 

To  coat  the  paper,  roll  it  up  tightly,  face  outwards ;  lay  the 
roll  upon  the  surface  of  the  licpiid,  seize  the  loose  end,  and 
gradually  unroll  the  paper;  then  hang  up  to  dry. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


99 


Pigment  Solutions. 


No.  1. — The  Preliminary  Jelly. 


Transparent  sheet  gelatine, 
White  sugar, 

Water,  - 


10  parts. 
4  parts. 
25  parts. 


Soak  the  gelatine  in  water  until  soft,  then  gradually  raise 
the  temperature  until  the  gelatine  is  dissolved.  Add  the  su-ar 
and  stir  well.  When  the  jelly  has  set,  turn  it  out  of  the  howl 
and  cut  off  the  bottom  to  remove  all  sediment. 


2 • — For  Purple  Brown  Tones. 


Refined  lamp-black, 
Alizarine  lake, 
Indigo,  - 


72  grains. 
60  grains. 
13  grains. 


G-rind  these  fine  with  four  ounces  of  the  jelly  given  in  No. 
1,  and  add  to  six  pounds  of  the  same  jelly,  and  mix  well. 


3. — Black  Tones. 

Jelly . 

Lamp-black,  .... 

d. — Red  Tones. 

Jelly, 

Venetian  red,  .... 

Indian  ink,  .... 

— Transparency  Tissue. 


2  pounds. 
50  grains. 


2  pounds. 

3  ounces. 
8  grains. 


Jelly,  - 
Indian  ink,  - 


2  pounds. 
200  grains. 


The  tissue  compound  is  to  be  strained  through  cambric  into 
a  tray  standing  in  hot  water.  The  paper  is  coated  as  recom¬ 
mended  for  the  single  and  double  transfers,  and  then  dried. 

When  dry,  the  tissue  is  sensitized  by  immersion  for  a  brief 
period  in  the  following  solution  : 


Bichromate  of  potash, 
Ammonia, 

Alcohol, 

Water, 


13^  ounces. 
1  dram. 

4  ounces. 

30  ounces. 


Then  suspend  to  dry  in  a  dark  room  supplied  with  a  con¬ 
stant  current  of  pure  cold  air.  The  drying  should  take  place 
within  5  or  6  hours,  or  failure  will  occur. 


100 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Printing. 

The  negative  must  first  receive  a  “safe  edge”  in  the  shape 
of  a  quarter-inch  edging  of  black  varnish,  in  order  to  protect 
the  outside  edges  of  the  tissue  from  the  action  of  light. 

Exposure  is  about  twice  as  rapid  as  with  silver  paper,  and  as 
the  progress  of  the  printing  is  not  visible,  a  photometer  must 
be  employed  to  determine  the  proper  time  of  exposure. 

The  photometer  is  simply  a  small  box  of  wood,  or  other 
material,  having  a  double  cover  in  which  is  cut  a  rectangulai 
opening  covered  with  a  piece  of  glass,  painted  a  daik  chocolate 
color,  corresponding  to  the  tint  assumed  by  silver  paper  after 
90  seconds’  exposure  to  sunlight,  a  narrow  slit  being  left  un¬ 
painted  across  the  center  of  the  glass. 

Between  the  first  and  second  covers  a  slip  of  sensitized  silver 
paper  is  pressed,  one  end  projecting  from  a  narrow  slit  cut  in 
one  end  of  the  box.  The  box  is  placed  in  a  position  to  recei\  e 
the  same  quality  of  light  as  that  which  falls  upon  the  negati\  e. 

As  soon  as  the  paper,  visible  through  the  unpainted  portion 
of  the  glass,  darkens  to  the  color  of  the  painted  portion,  one 
tint  has  been  obtained,  and  the  paper  is  pulled  forward  until  a 
fresh  portion  is  exposed  to  the  light. 

This  operation  is  continued  until  the  print  is  judged  to  be 
sufficiently  exposed,  A  little  practice  soon  enables  the  printer 
to  determine  how  many  tints  each  negative  requires.  Nega¬ 
tives  of  medium  density  require  an  exposure  of  two  or  more 
tints;  those  covered  with  tissue  paper  or  mat  varnish  will 
need  longer  exposure. 

The  number  of  tints,  once  found  for  each  negative,  should 
be  marked  on  its  back. 

Development. 

Carbon  prints  must  be  developed  from  the  back  of  the 
tissue  in  order  to  secure  good  half-tones.  For  this  purpose  the 
prints  are  cemented,  face  down,  upon  the  single  or  double 
transfer  paper,  according  as  reversed  or  unreversed  negatives 
were  used  in  printing. 

Single  Transfers. 

For  single  transfers,  the  exposed  tissue  and  a  piece  of  single 
transfer  paper,  a  trifle  larger  than  the  plate,  are  soaked  in 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


101 


clean  cold  water  until  the  tissue  lies  perfectly  flat.  The  two 
pieces  are  now  placed  face  to  face,  lifted  out  of  the  water, 
placed  upon  a  piece  of  clean  glass,  and  perfect  contact  secured 
by  using  a  squeegee  on  the  back  of  the  tissue  previously 
covered  with  rubber  cloth.  The  two  pieces  are  then  placed 
for  a  few  minutes  between  blotters,  and  then  placed  in  water 
at  100  deg.  Fahr. ;  in  a  short  time  the  backing  paper  of  the 
tissue  can  be  easily  removed;  gentle  washing  with  hot 
water  will  soon  dissolve  those  portions  of  the  print  unaltered 
by  the  action  of  light,  leaving  an  image  in  carbon  on  the 
transfer  paper,  which,  after  rinsing  in  cold  water,  immersion 
in  an  alum  solution,  followed  by  another  rinsing,  is  ready  to 
be  hung  up  to  dry,  after  which  it  is  ready  for  mounting. 

Double  Transfers. 

The  double  transfer  support  must  be  used  when  the  prints 
have  been  made  from  ordinary  negatives.  For  this  purpose  a 
piece  of  double  transfer  paper,  somewhat  larger  than  the  print, 
is  coated  with  a  solution  of  beeswax  in  turpentine,  the  wax 
solution  being  applied  with  a  piece  of  flannel  and  polished 
with  another.  It  is  then  immersed  in  clean  cold  water  with 
the  print,  and  treated  as  described  for  single  transfer. 

When  the  development  is  completed,  the  tissue  is  ready  to 
be  transferred  to  its  final  support,  be  it  card,  glass,  ivory  or 
porcelain  This  is  done  by  soaking  a  piece  of  double  transfer 
paper,  when  the  prints  are  to  be  mounted  on  cards,  in  water 
at  about  100  deg.  Fahr.  Allow  it  to  soak  until  the  surface 
feels  soft  and  slimy,  meanwhile  soaking  the  print  on  its  tempo¬ 
rary  support  in  cold  water.  The  two  are  then  brought  into 
contact  as  before,  laid  down  upon  a  piece  of  glass,  transfer 
paper  uppermost,  and  the  squeegee  applied  lightly.  The 
cemented  pieces  are  now  hung  up  to  dry,  and  when  quite 
dry  the  two  papers  are  separated,  the  image  remaining  on  the 
transfer  paper.  After  rinsing,  going  through  the  alum  bath, 
again  rinsing  and  drying,  the  prints  are  ready  for  mounting 
on  cards. 

If  the  final  support  is  to  be  ivory,  glass,  porcelain,  or  any 
other  similar  substance,  both  the  developed  print  and  the 
ivory  or  other  substance,  are  immersed  in  a  warm  five-grain 


102 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


solution  of  gelatine,  and  squeegeed  into  contact,  excess  of 
gelatine  being  removed  with  a  damp  sponge.  The  two  are 
then  placed  to  dry  between  blotters  under  pressure.  When 
quite  dry,  the  paper  is  stripped  off,  leaving  the  carbon  image 
upon  its  final  support. 

Instead  of  using  a  piece  of  waxed  transfer  paper  for  the 
first  transfer,  some  operators  prefer  to  employ  a  finely  mulled 
zinc  plate,  waxed  and  polished  as  before.  The  subsequent 
operations  are  the  same  as  described  above. 

The  author  feels  that  a  word  of  caution  is  necessary  to 
those  who  may  try  this  process.  Cases  of  bichromate  poison¬ 
ing  are  by  no  means  rare,  and  the  operator  should  exercise 
the  utmost  care  in  all  his  manipulations,  particularly  if  he 
have  any  cuts  or  scratches  on  his  hands,  in  which  case  it 
would  be  better  to  defer  washing  the  tissue  until  the  cuts  are 
entirely  healed.  The  safest  plan  is  to  wear  rubber  gloves 
when  working  with  the  tissue. 

A  method  for  making  transparencies  in  carbon  will  be  de¬ 
scribed  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  that  subject. 

Prints  made  as  described  above  will  be  either  mat  or  slightly 
polished.  If  a  high  gloss  is  desired,  the  print  is  developed 
on  a  piece  of  glass  polished  with  French  chalk  and  coated 
with  thin,  plain  collodion,  and  washed  until  all  traces  of 
greasiness  are  removed.  The  exposed  tissue  is  now  mounted 
upon  the  collodionized  glass,  a  piece  of  rubber  cloth  placed 
over  the  tissue,  and  the  squeegee  applied  gently.  The  subse¬ 
quent  operations  are  the  same  as  described  above. 

Carbon  Prints  from  Ordinary  Negatives  Without 

Transfer. 

The  method  about  to  be  described  gives  unreversed  posi¬ 
tive,  from  ordinary  negatives  without  single  or  double  transfer. 
If  a  piece  of  exposed  carbon  tissue  be  developed  on  glass  it 
only  needs  a  backing  of  white  paper  to  bring  out  the  detail, 
and  as  the  positive  is  seen  through  the  glass  it  will  be  non- 
reversed  although  taken  from  an  unreversed  negative. 

The  glass  plates  on  which  the  tissue  is  developed  are  pre¬ 
pared  by  giving  them  a  thin  coating  of  the  following  solu¬ 
tion  : 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


103 


a.  Gelatine,  80  grains. 

Water,  -  -  .  .  -  -  5  ounces. 

b.  — Chrome  Alum,  ....  3  grains. 

Water,  -  -  -  -  -  -  1  ounce. 

Add  b  to  a  when  the  gelatine  is  dissolved. 

The  piece  of  exposed  tissue  is  put  upon  the  prepared  plate 
as  in  the  usual  transfer  method.  The  tissue  is  then  covered 
with  a  piece  of  rubber  cloth  and  squeegeed  into  perfect  con¬ 
tact  ;  a  weight  is  next  placed  on  the  rubber  cloth  and  allowed 
to  act  for  a  few  minutes.  DeveloDment  is  the  same  as  de¬ 
scribed  above. 


CoNTINUATING  ACTION  OF  LlGHT. 

Capt.  Abney,  I  believe,  was  the  first  to  notice  the  fact  that, 
when  the  insolubility  caused  by  the  action  of  light  upon  a  film 
of  bichromated  gelatine  had  once  begun,  it  continued  in  the 
dark,  and  that  it  was  further  increased  by  exposure  to  non- 
actinic  light. 

Advantage  is  often  taken  of  this  remarkable  property  of 
the  film  to  diminish  the  time  of  exposure.  The  tissue,  after 
receiving  a  brief  exposure  under  the  negative,  is  placed  in  a 
light-tight  box,  and  development  deferred  until  it  is  judged 
that  the  continuating  action  has  been  sufficiently  prolonged. 
Exuerience  is  the  only  guide  in  this  matter. 

Failures  in  the  Carbon  Process. 

[From  Liesegang’s  “  Le  Procede  au  Charbon.”] 

1.  The  pigmented  gelatine  dissolves  in  the  bichromate  solu¬ 
tion.  The  solution  is  too  warm  ;  it  must  be  cooled  by  add¬ 
ing  ice. 

2.  The  gelatine  runs  while  drying.  The  drying  room  or 
box  is  too  warm. 

3.  The  paper,  when  dry,  is  too  stiff  and  refuses  to  lay 
smoothly  upon  the  negative.  The  paper  was  dried  too  quickly 
at  too  high  a  temperature. 

4.  The  paper  sticks  to  the  negative.  Either  the  paper,  the 
negative,  or  the  padding  is  moist.  If  the  paper  is  at  fault  it 
must  be  given  a  coating  of  very  dilute  collodion,  and  allow  it 
to  dry  thoroughly. 


104 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


5.  The  gelatine  refuses  to  adhere  to  the  glass.  Either  the 
paper  was  allowed  to  remain  too  long  in  the  bath  of  cold 
water  or  the  bichromate  bath  has  become  decomposed  through 
age. 

6.  The  sensitized  gelatine  becomes  insoluble  even  in  dark¬ 
ness.  This  most  commonly  happens  in  hot  moist  weather. 
Add  one  per  cent,  of  carbonate  of  soda  to  the  bichromate 
bath  and  dry  the  tissue  in  a  current  of  air. 

7.  The  tissue  is  not  easily  detached,  or  the  proof  develops 
poorly,  remaining  too  black.  The  exposure  was  too  long,  or 
too  much  time  has  elapsed  between  exposure  and  development. 

8.  The  tissue  leaves  the  support  too  quickly  and  the  print 
is  weak.  Too  short  exposure  ;  lower  the  temperature  of  the 
developing  bath. 

9.  The  edges  of  the  proof  adhere  to  the  support.  Either 
the  safe  edge  was  neglected,  or  the  gelatine  has  become  de¬ 
composed. 

10.  Dark  spots  appear  on  the  prints.  If  they  do  not  dis¬ 
appear  in  the  developing  bath,  they  are  caused  by  insuffi¬ 
cient  washing  of  the  collodion  in  cold  water. 

11.  The  proofs  lack  half-tones.  Either  the  paper  was 
dried  too  quickly,  the  bichromate  bath  is  too  old  or  weak, 
or  the  tissue  has  been  kept  too  long. 

12.  The  print  after  being  placed  on  the  transfer  paper  will 
not  leave  the  glass.  The  glass  was  not  well  waxed,  or  too 
much  of  it  was  removed  in  polishing. 

13.  The  print  when  stripped  from  the  glass  is  covered  with 
bright  spots  in  the  high-lights.  The  water  -  in  which  the 
transfer  paper  was  soaked  was  too  warm  or  too  cold ;  the 
gelatine  was  either  dissolved  or  not  sufficiently  softened. 

14.  The  print  has  a  coarse-grained  appearance.  Either  the 
print  when  on  the  glass  was  soaked  too  long  in  cold  water  be¬ 
fore  transferring  to  the  transfer  paper,  or  the  water  was  too 
warm,  or  the  print  was  dried  too  quickly. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


105 


CHAPTER  X. 

PRINTING  ON  FABRICS-PRINTING  ON  LINEN. 

Sizing  Solution. 


Water, 
White  glue, 


1  ounce' 

2  grains. 


Salting  Solution. 


Chloride  of  ammonium, 
Water, 


2  grains. 
1  ounce. 


Immerse  the  linen  in  the  salting  solution  for  one  or  two 
minutes.  When  dry  apply  the  sizing  solution  to  the  part  to 
be  printed.  When  again  dry,  the  silver  solution,  forty-five 
grams  to  the  ounce,  is  put  on  with  a  tuft  of  cotton.  The  linen 
is  then  dried  and  fumed.  Printing  is  done  in  the  usual  way, 
first  attaching  the  cloth  to  a  piece  of  pasteboard.  Toning  is 
done  in  any  good  bath,  the  print  is  fixed  in  hypo  and  well 
washed,  using  boiling  water  for  the  final  washing 

to* 


Printing  on  Silk. 


Chloride  of  ammonium, 
Iceland  moss, 

Boiling  water, 


100  grains. 
60  grains. 
20  ounces. 


When  nearly  cold  filter  and  immerse  the  silk  for  fifteen 
minutes.  The  silk  is  sensitized  by  a  sixteen  minutes’  immersion 
in  a  twenty-grain  silver  bath  made  slightly  acid. 

When  dry,  the  silk  is  attached  to  a  piece  of  card-board,  and 
slightly  over-printed.  After  printing,  wash  in  two  or  three 
changes  of  water,  and  tone  in  any  good  bath.  Fix  for  twenty 
minutes  in  a  1  to  4  fixing  bath.  The  after-washing  must  be 


thorough. 


Platinum  Process. 


The  platinum  process  of  Willis  can  be  confidently  recom¬ 
mended  for  obtaining  positive  prints  on  various  fabrics,  using 
the  materials  prepared  specially  for  this  purpose,  not  those  for 


106 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


contact  or  solar  work.  Tlie  following  description  of  tlie  pro¬ 
cess  is  taken  from  the  Platinotype  Company’s  Manual,  and 
may  be  implicitly  relied  on  : 

The  sensitizer  consists  of  a  mixture  of  the  platinum  and  iron 
solutions. 

Two  solutions  of  iron  marked  A  and  B  are  employed.  By 
varying  the  proportions  in  which  these  solutions  are  mixed 
different  effects  may  be  obtained  from  the  same  negative.  But 
it  will  he  found  advisable  in  printing  from  negatives  having 
the  same  general  characteristics  to  adhere  nearly  to  one  fixed 
proportion. 

The  following  mixtures  are  good  : 


1.  — Iron  solution  A,  -  -  -  -  -  1  part. 

“  “  B,  3  parts. 

2.  —  Iron  solution  A,  -  1  part. 

“  “  B,  1  part. 


1.  Gives  good  half  tone  and  is  suitable  for  brilliant  negatives 
with  strong  contrasts. 

2.  Gives  less  half  tone  ;  with  negatives  thin  or  weak  it  gives 
more  brilliant  prints  than  1. 

By  increasing  the  proportions  of  iron  solution  A,  half  tones 
wTill  be  destroyed. 

By  increasing  the  proportion  of  B,  half  tones  will  be  in¬ 
creased. 

It  is  not  advisable  to  reduce  the  proportion  of  A  lower  than 
given  in  formula  1,  otherwise  there  will  be  a  tendency  to  pro¬ 
duce  prints  with  stained  or  fogged  whites. 

The  mixture  of  solutions  A  and  B  may  be  preserved  in  the 
dark,  for  future  use,  in  a  corked  bottle. 

The  sensitizer  is  made  by  mixing — 

Solution  lor2,  -  -  -  -  -1  part. 

Platinum  solution,  ....  1  part. 

This  sensitizer  should  be  used  within  ten  minutes  of  its  pre- 
paration. 

The  sensitizing  solution  is  applied  to  the  fabric  by  means  of 
a  small  piece  of  fine  sponge  until  the  material  is  saturated.  It 
is  then  removed  from  the  glass  plate  and  dried  until  it  is 
absolutely  dry. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS.  107 

When  dry,  the  color  of  the  surface  should  be  a  pure  yellow 
sometimes  almost  orange.  If  a  faint  tint  of  gray  should 

appear,  it  will  usually  indicate  that  too  much  heat  has  been 
used  in  drying. 

The  precautions  used  in  the  protection  of  sensitized  paper 
from  damp  apply  equally  to  fabrics. 

Sensitizing  should  be  conducted  in  a  clear  yellow  light  or 
by  gas  or  lamp  light. 

The  glass  plate  and  sponge  used  for  sensitizing  are  readily 
cleaned  by  a  weak  solution  of  hydrochloric  acid.  They  should 
be  kept  free  from  any  trace  of  old  or  decomposed  sensitizer, 
otherwise  stains  will  be  formed  in  the  print.  When  sensitiz- 
a  large  number  of  pieces  of  fabric,  it  is  necessary  to  clean 

the  glass  and  sponge  at  intervals  during  the  operation,  say  be- 
tween  every  tenth  piece. 

When  a  portion  only  of  a  piece  of  fabric  is  sensitized,  all 
excess  of  moisture  must  be  removed  from  the  edges  of  the 
spot  so  sensitized ;  this  may  be  effected  by  sponging  these  edges 
with  a  drier  sponge.  If,  notwithstanding  this  treatment,  the 
edges  of  the  spot  show  stains  on  development,  a  larger  pro¬ 
portion  of  the  iron  solution  A  should  be  used  in  the  sensitizer 
It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  quantity  of  mixed  sensitizer  re- 
quisite  to  coat  a  piece  of  fabric.  With  a  rather  fine  kind  of 
lmen  it  is  found  that  each  square  foot  requires  a  little  more 
than  li  drams  of  the  sensitizer.  Smaller  areas  of  this  fabric 
require  a  slightly  increased  proportion  of  the  sensitizer 
Thicker  fabrics  require  more  sensitizer  in  proportion  to  their 
thickness.  Oatmeal-cloth  and  thick  sateen  require  three  or  four 
times  as  much  as  linen. 

The  printing  and  development  of  sensitized  fabrics  are  con¬ 
ducted  similarly  to  paper.  The  developing  bath  should  be  very 
hot ;  the  nearer  it  is  to  the  boiling  point  the  better.  The  ex¬ 
posed  fabric  is  first  of  all  floated  with  its  printed  surface  down¬ 
wards  upon  the  developer,  and  it  is  then  immersed  in  it  for  at 
least  five  seconds.  The  acid  clearing  bath  is  made  by  fixing  1 
part  hydrochloric  acid  with  45  parts  water. 

With  linen  and  the  finer  sorts  of  cotton  fabric  (Nainsook, 
for  example)  no  difficulty  in  working  should  be  experienced, 
but  thicker  fabrics,  such  as  jean,  sateen,  oatmeal-cloth,  require 


108 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


very  careful  management.  In  drying  these  thicker  materials 
very  great  care  is  requisite  to  secure  perfect  desiccation  with¬ 
out  decomposition.  A  more  gentle  heat  should  be  used  in 
these  cases.  Silks  and  satins  do  not,  as  a  rule,  answer  well,  but 
some  of  the  purer  kinds  of  silk,  which  have  very  little  “  dress¬ 
ing,”  give  good  results.  The  denser  kinds  of  Sarsanet  and  the 
soft  silks  are  the  best. 

The  Carbon  Process. 

Prints  may  be  obtained  on  fabrics  by  means  of  carbon  tissue, 
the  fabric  forming  the  final  transfer.  The  method  of  obtaining 
the  print  does  not  differ  from  those  described  in  the  Chapter ^n 
Carbon  Prints. 

The  fabric  is  coated  with  the  usual  solution  of  insoluble  gela¬ 
tine,  and  the  final  transfer  made  upon  it  as  usual. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


109 


CHAPTER  XI. 

ENLARGEMENTS. 

General  Directions. 

The  Negatives. — Negatives  for  enlargements  should  not  be 
as  intense  as  those  intended  for  contact  printing.  Very  thin 
negatives  can  be  employed  for  enlarging  from  by  flowing 
over  the  bath  a  coating  of  thin  collodion,  to  which  has  been 
added  sufficient  of  a  yellow  aniline  dip  to  impart  a  decided 
tinge. 

In  all  cases  the  negative  should  be  placed  face  downwards 
with  the  film  side  towards  the  paper  or  glass  on  which  the  en¬ 
largement  is  to  be  made. 

The  Light. — For  enlargements  in  the  solar  camera  on  paper 
sensitized  in  the  bath,  daylight  or  the  electric  light  must  be 
used.  For  enlargements  not  exceeding  two  or  three  diame¬ 
ters  on  bromide  paper,  opals,  or  other  substances  coated  with 
a  sensitive  emulsion,  gas  or  lamplight  may  be  employed  in  an 
enlarging  lantern  ;  also  the  oxy-liydrogen  or  the  lime-light. 

Enlargements  of  greater  dimensions  are  best  made  by  day¬ 
light. 

The  Apparatus. 

The  Solar  Camera. — This  instrument  is  so  well  known  that 
no  description  of  it  is  needed.  The  form  in  general  use  in 
America  is  Woodward’s. 

Enlarging  Camera  for  Emulsions. — As  paper  coated  with 
emulsion  prints  much  more  rapidly  than  paper  sensitized  in 
the  bath,  a  simpler  form  of  camera  can  be  employed.  That 
given  below  is  the  best  known  to  the  author.  It  can  also  be 
used  for  reducing  and  copying  in  the  same  scale  as  the  original. 

If  the  enlargement  is  to  be  made  on  glass  or  other  similar 
substances  coated  with  emulsion,  the  plate  is  placed  in  the 
usual  plate-holder  and  the  exposure  made  as  in  ordinary  view 


110 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


work.  If,  however,  paper  coated  with  emulsion  be  the  me¬ 
dium  adopted,  a  film  carrier  of  the  usual  pattern  may  be  em¬ 
ployed  or  the  paper  may  be  smoothly  pasted  by  the  edges  on 
a  glass  plate. 


The  form  of  construction  of  this  camera  is  made  apparent 
by  the  illustration  here  shown.  The  experienced  copyist  will 
not  need  any  such  simple  directions  for  use  as  we  append. 


Directions  for  Use. 

To  copy  a  negative  in  the  natural  size,  place  it  in  the  kit  on 
the  front  of  camera  and  button  it  in.  Attached  to  the  center 
frame  of  the  camera  is  a  division  upon  which,  on  the  side  to¬ 
ward  the  camera  front,  a  lens  is  mounted.  Suppose  this  to  be 
a  quarter-plate  portrait  lens,  the  focal  length  of  which  we  will 
suppose  to  be  four  inches — draw  back  the  center  frame  and 
the  lens  twice  the  focal  length  of  the  lens  (eight  inches) ; 
slide  the  back  frame  with  ground  glass  the  same  distance  from 
the  center  frame.  To  enlarge  with  the  same  lens  to  eight 
times  the  size  of  the  original,  the  center  of  the  lens  must  be 
four  and  a  half  inches  from  the  negative,  and  the  ground  glass 
be  thirty-six  inches  from  the  center  of  the  lens.  To  reduce 
in  the  same  proportion,  reverse  and  have  36  inches  from  the 
center  of  the  lens  to  the  negative,  and  from  the  center  of  lens 
to  ground  glass,  four  and  a  half  inches. 

Enlargements  with  an  Ordinary  Camera. — If  the  operator 
possesses  a  view  or  portrait  camera  of  sufficient  size  and  of 
great  focal  length,  he  can,  by  using  a  short  focus  lens,  make 


Ill 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 

enlargements  in  the  camera  direct  from  the  negative.  In  this 
case  it  is  only  necessary  to  place  the  negative  in  a  window 
with  a  piece  of  ground  glass  behind  it.  The  camera  is  sup¬ 
ported  on  a  table  in  such  a  way  as  to  allow  the  center  of  the 
lens  to  be  opposite  the  center  of  the  negative.  By  looking 
through  the  ground  glass  of  the  camera  all  the  necessary  ad¬ 
justments  are  easily  made. 


An  Improvised  Apparatus. 


This  cut  represents  an  enlarging  apparatus  that  any  photog¬ 
rapher  can  improvise  from  ordinary  apparatus  and  material, 
with  the  expenditure  of  a  few  hours’  time.  To  construct  it 
proceed  as  follows : 

Cut  a  hole  in  the  dark-room  shutter  two  sizes  larger  than 
the  largest  negative  to  be  enlarged  from  ;  fit  into  the  opening 
a  frame  about  two  or  three  inches  deep,  glazed  on  the  outside 
with  a  sheet  of  ground  glass.  On  the  inside  edges  of  the 
frame,  top  and  bottom,  arrange  grooves  in  which  to  slide  the 
negative  ;  when  the  negative  is  in  position  it  will  be  brilliantly 
illuminated  against  the  ground  glass.  Now,  on  a  table  or 
shelf,  adjusted  in  front  of  the  negative-box,  jdace  an  ordinary 
camera  having  the  ground  glass  removed,  point  the  lens  toward 
the  negative,  and  connect  the  lens  and  negative-box  by  means 
of  a  bag  of  opaque  cloth,  open  at  both  ends  and  provided  with 
elastic  bands  to  close  it  tight  around  the  lens  and  negative-box. 
This  will  prevent  any  light  coming  into  the  dark-room,  except 
through  the  lens. 


112 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


In  this  apparatus  the  camera  oody  serves  no  useful  purpose ; 
all  that  is  required  is  to  support  the  lens.  In  case  a  portrait 
lens  is  used  it  should  be  put  in  position  so  that  the  back  lens 
will  be  next  the  negative  instead  of  as  shown  in  the  cut. 


The  easel  to  hold  the  sensitive  paper  is  the  next  requisite, 
and  this  may  be  constructed  by  fastening  a  large,  flat  board  in 
an  upright  position,  upon  a  box  of  suitable  size  to  serve  as  a 
base,  so  that  the  whole  may  be  moved  to  and  fro  to  regulate 


The  Eastman  Enlarging  Apparatus. 


the  size  of  the  enlargement.  The  face  of  the  easel  should  be 
covered  with  white  paper.  Xow,  if  the  easel  is  put  in  position, 
facing  the  camera,  the  image  can  be  focused  on  the  screen  by 
sliding  the  camera  backward  or  forward  on  the  shelf. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


113 


While  the  foregoing  directions  will  enable  anyone  to  con¬ 
struct  a  practical  apparatus  for  enlarging,  many  will  prefer  a 


more  convenient  and  finished  outfit,  and  for  such  the  following 
apparatus  has  been  devised.  See  the  accompanying  figures.  ” 


The  Camera. — This  cam¬ 
era  is  similar  to  an  ordinary 
u  front  focus  ”  view  camera, 
except  in  the  back,  which 
has  a  fixed  ground  glass  and 
a  carrier  for  the  negative 
which  slides  into  the  cam¬ 
era,  inside  the  ground  glass. 
This  carrier  is  adjustable  so 
that  it  will  take  any  nega¬ 
tive  from  3J  x  4J  inches,  or 
smaller,  up  to  and  including 
8  x  10  inches.  The  camera 
is  built  with  especial  refer¬ 
ence  to  steadiness  and  is 
well  finished.  Provision  is 
made  in  the  back  for  mak¬ 
ing  a  light-tight  joint  around 

the  opening  of  the  dark¬ 
room  shutter,  into  which  the  camera  fits. 


The  Easel  consists  of  a  base,  supporting  two  uprights,  in 


114 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


which  slides  the  exposing  screen.  On  the  face  of  the  screen 
swings  a  hinged  frame  which  clamps  the  sensitive  paper  flat  in 
position.  The  swinging  frame  is  arranged  to  receive  smaller 
frames  or  kits,  adapted  to  clamping  any  size  of  paper.  On 
the  top  of  the  screen  is  a  light-tight  box,  provided  with  bear¬ 
ings,  in  which  revolves  the  spool  carrying  the  roll  of  sensitive 
paper.  Each  box  is  supplied  with  a  wooden  spool,  and  the 
paper  is  wound  for  the  market  upon  a  strong  paper  tube,  which 
slides  onto  the  wooden  spool.  Thus,  a  tube  carrying  any  width 
of  paper,  not  above  the  capacity  of  the  easel,  can  be  used  with 
the  same  box. 

The  easel  is  arranged  to  slide  back  and  forth  on  a  track  laid 
on  the  floor  of  the  dark-room. 

The  advantages  of  the  specially  constructed  apparatus,  above 
described,  over  anything  devised  as  a  makeshift,  are  almost  too 


obvious  to  require  enumeration.  Although  by  means  of  an  ex¬ 
temporized  apparatus,  just  as  good  quality  of  work  may  be 
done,  when  the  operator  proposes  to  adopt  the  process  regularly 
in  his  business,  he  will  find,  in  using  the  better  apparatus,  that 
the  time  saved  in  adjustment,  and  the  paper  saved  by  using  it 
in  the  roll,  in  which  form  it  is  much  less  liable  to  accidental 
injury,  will  soon  pay  for  a  complete  outfit  such  as  described. 

Iam  indebted  to  the  “British  Journal  Photographic  Al¬ 
manac  ”  for  the  description  of  the  following  easily  constructed 
and  thoroughly  efficient  enlarging  apparatus  which  may  be 
used  in  an  ordinary  room,  and  which  will  answer  for  daylight 
or  artificial  light : 

The  baseboard,  A  B,  is  two  feet  long  and  two  inches  thick. 
Its  width  will  be  determined  by  the  width  of  the  easel-board  I . 
A  wide  groove  is  cut  in  A  B,  in  which  slides  the  thinner  three- 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


115 


inch  slab  C,  which  carries  the  lens-board  D.  On  each  side  of 
the  center  groove  two  narrower  grooves  are  cut,  in  which  run 
the  two  square  rods  E  E,  carrying  the  easel-board  F.  The  size 
of  F  will  depend  on  the  size  of  the  largest  enlargement  to  be 
made.  The  lens-board  F  is  grooved  to  take  the  ordinary  slid¬ 
ing  front  used  on  the  camera,  and  allows  the  lens  to  be  raised 
or  lowered  as  required. 

All  the  parts  should  be  accurately  and  strongly  put  together. 
The  actual  process  of  enlarging  with  this  apparatus  does  not 
differ  from  that  adopted  when  the  regular  enlarging  camera  is 
used.  The  room  in  which  the  enlargement  is  to  be  made  must 
be  thoroughly  darkened,  one  window  having  a  wooden  shutter 

Enlarging  Apparatus  for  Electric  Light.  In  Use  in  the  Eastman 

Factory. 


in  which  a  hole  is  cut  and  a  frame  made  to  receive  the  negative. 
One  end  of  a  hood  of  black  cloth  is  nailed  to  this  frame,  and  the 
other  end  being  fastened  to  the  lens-mount  by  means  of  a 
rubber  band.  The  necessary  adjustments  are  made  by  draw¬ 
ing  out  the  lens-carrier  D,  and  the  easel-board  F,  to  which  the 
paper  is  fastened  with  drawing  pins. 

Foi  enlargements  with  artificial  light  it  is  only  necessary  to 
enclose  the  source  of  fight  in  a  light-tight  box  provided  with 
suitably  protected  ventilation  holes  at  the  top  and  bottom,  and 
having  an  opening  provided  with  a  piece  of  ground  glass,  in 
which  to  place  the  negative. 

Electric  Light. — When  a  large  quantity  of  work  is  to  be 


116 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


provided  for,  the  arc  electric  light  is  most  convenient  as  it  is 
powerful  and  (practically)  uniform.  Any  artificial  light  re¬ 
quires  a  pair  of  double  condensers,  and  they  should  be  arranged 
as  in  figures  6  and  7. 

Large  condensers,  if  made  of  fine  glass,  are  very  expensive, 
but  an  inferior  grade  that  costs  only  a  moderate  sum  may  be 
used  if  a  sheet  of  very  fine  ground  glass  be  mounted  between 
the  convex  surfaces  of  the  two  lenses.  (See  fig.  7.) 

Enlarging  with  the  Oil  Lantern. — For  small  enlargements 
a  magic  lantern  burning  oil  may  be  used  to  advantage.  One 
of  the  most  compact  and  convenient  forms  of  lantern  known 
to  the  writer  is  that  known  as  the  New  \  ork  Magic  and  En¬ 
larging  Lantern,  figured  below. 


Ready  for  Use. 


In  Packing  Case. 


The  lantern  is  very  light  and  compact ;  no  oppressive  heat  is 
generated  ;  the  condensing  lenses  are  four  and  five-eighth  in¬ 
ches  in  diameter.  There  is  no  loss  of  light,  and  altogether  it 
is  a  very  desirable  piece  of  apparatus. 

The  Lens. — Any  lens  that  will  make  a  negative  can  be 
used,  and  the  proper  size  for  the  lens  depends  wholly  upon 
the  size  of  the  negatives  to  be  enlarged  from.  Rapid  rectilinear 
lenses  of  short  focus  and  large  enough  to  cover  the  negative  will 
answer  every  purpose. 

Vignetting  Enlargements  on  Opals  and  Emulsion  Pa¬ 
pers. — If  an  apparatus  similar  to  the  Eastman  is  used,  the  en¬ 
largement  may  be  vignetted  by  constantly  moving  to  and  from 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


117 


the  lens  a  j)iece  of  pasteboard  about  18x22  inches,  having  a 
hole  of  the  proper  shape  cut  in  the  center.  The  lens  should 
be  stopped  down  to  secure  long  exposure  in  order  to  allow  the 
vignetter  time  to  act. 

Mounting  Enlargements  on  Cloth. 

Cover  a  canvas  stretcher  with  a  piece  of  common  white 
muslin  by  stretching  it  tightly  while  dry,  and  tacking  it  on 
the  outside  edges.  Give  the  cloth  a  coating  of  starch  paste, 
rubbing  it  well  in  and  avoiding  streaks  and  lumps.  Place  a 
piece  of  rubber  cloth  on  a  smooth  table,  and  on  it  lay  the  wet 
print,  face  down.  Wipe  off  all  excess  of  water  with  a  squee¬ 
gee,  and  then  give  the  back  of  the  print  a  coat  of  paste.  Now 
lay  the  stretcher,  face  down,  upon  the  print,  and  rub  it  into 
contact,  using  a  thin  paper  knife  under  the  edges  of  the 
frame.  Turn  the  stretcher  over,  and  remove  the  rubber 
cloth.  When  dry,  the  print  will  be  stretched  tightly. 


118 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


TABLE  FOR  ENLARGEMENTS. 

Copied  from  the  “  British  Journal  Almanac  for  1882.” 


Focus  of  Lens. 


Times  of  Enlargement  and  Reduction. 


i 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

In. 

In. 

In. 

In. 

In. 

In. 

In. 

In. 

In. 

4 

6 

8 

10 

12 

14 

16 

18 

4 

4 

3 

2% 

2% 

21 

21 

21 

21 

2  X 

5 

1% 

10 

m 

15 

171 

20 

221 

5 

3% 

3 1 

3  % 

3 

2{h 

2f 

211 

6 

9 

12 

15 

18 

21 

24 

27 

6 

6 

4K 

4 

3K 

31 

31 

31 

3f 

3K 

7 

iok 

14 

17& 

21 

241 

28 

311 

7 

5K 

4% 

4M 

41 

4  1 

4 

Q  1  5 

8 

12 

16 

20 

24 

28 

32 

36 

4 

8 

6 

5K 

5 

4 1 

4f 

41 

41 

4K 

9 

13^ 

18 

22  X 

27 

311 

36 

401 

9 

3% 

6 

5% 

5f 

51 

51 

5fir 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 

35 

40 

45 

0 

10 

7K 

6% 

6K 

6 

51 

5f 

5  K 

11 

16  K 

22 

27M 

33 

CO 

00 

44 

491 

11 

3K 

7K 

6% 

61 

a  5 

6f 

ft  3 

6 

12 

18 

24 

30 

36 

42 

48 

54 

12 

9 

8 

7K 

71 

7 

6f 

6f 

14 

21 

28 

35 

42 

49 

56 

63 

i 

14 

m 

8% 

81 

81 

8 

71 

8 

16 

24 

32 

40 

48 

56 

64 

72 

16 

12 

m 

10 

91 

91 

91 

9 

18 

27 

36 

45 

54 

63 

72 

81 

y 

18 

13^ 

12 

UK 

101 

101 

lOf 

101 

It  is  assumed  that  the  photographer  knows  exactly  what 
the  focus  of  his  lens  is,  and  that  he  is  able  to  measure  accur¬ 
ately  from  its  optical  center.  The  use  of  the  table  will  be  seen 
from  the  following  illustration  :  A  photographer  has  a  carte 
to  enlarge  to  four  times  its  size,  and  the  lens  he  intends  em¬ 
ploying  is  one  of  six  inches  equivalent  focus.  He  must, 
therefore,  look  for  4  on  the  upper  horizontal  line,  and  for  6 
in  the  first  vertical  column,  and  carry  his  eye  to  where  these 
two  join,  which  will  be  at  30 — 7-J-.  The  greater  of  these  is 
the  distance  the  sensitive  plate  must  be  from  the  center  of  the 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS.  119 

lens,  and  the  lesser,  the  distance  of  the  picture  to  he  copied. 
To  reduce  a  picture  any  given  number  of  times  the  same 
method  must  be  followed,  but  in  this  case  the  greater  number 
will  represent  the  distance  between  the  lens  and  the  picture 
to  be  copied  ;  the  latter,  that  between  the  lens  and  the  sensi¬ 
tive  plate.  This  explanation  will  be  sufficient  for  every  case 
of  enlargement  or  reduction. 

If  the  focus  of  the  lens  be  twelve  inches,  as  this  number  is 
not  in  the  column  of  focal  lengths,  look  out  for  6  in  this 
column  and  multiply  by  2  ;  and  so  on  with  any  other  num¬ 
bers. 

Copying  Cameras. 

These  cameras  are  made  of  hard  wood  shellacked,  not  var¬ 
nished.  Naturally,  they  are  without  swing,  but  in  every  re¬ 
quisite  they  are  complete ;  and  for  this  particular  service,  as 
well  as  others,  the  American  Optical  Company’s  make  is 
sought  for  before  all  others.  They  are  made  to  order  of  any 
length  of  bed  desired,  either  rigid  or  detachable,  and  with 
either  single  or  double  bellows. 

Finishing  Permanent  Bromide  Enlargements. 

By  G.  Hanmer  Croughton. 

In  working  upon  drawing  paper,  from  life  or  from  photo¬ 
graphs,  the  paper  chosen  is  one  that  is  strongly  sized,  because 
a  higher  degree  of  finish  can  be  obtained  upon  such  a  surface. 
In  the  necessary  manipulations  of  preparing  the  paper  for 
solar  prints — the  developing  and  fixing  and  subsequent  wash¬ 
ing — the  sizing  of  the  paper  is  entirely  wvashed  out ;  it  is  so 
with  the  platinum  print,  the  hot  developer  taking  the  size  out 
of  the  paper  and  making  it  as  soft  and  absorbent  as  blotting 
paper.  With  a  permanent  bromide  print,  although  it  lias  to 
undergo  all  the  manipulations  of  development,  fixing  and 
washing,  the  gelatine  surface  is  not  removed,  and  when  dry 
serves  as  a  strong  sizing  to  the  paper.  This  necessitates  a 
somewhat  different  method  of  treatment  than  upon  the  softer 
paper,  but  all  the  manipulations  for  producing  an  artistic  effect 
upon  solar  or  platinum  prints  can  be  followed  upon  permanent 
bromide  and  from  my  years  of  experience  I  can  say  confi- 


120 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


dently,  that  the  best  results  can  be  obtained  quicker  and  better. 

t  rayon  Finishing. — -The  only  difference  is  in  the  material 
used.  Instead  of  using  a  stumping  sauce  alone,  I  find  a  mix¬ 
ture  of  No.  1  Conti  Crayon,  finely  crushed  with  an  equal  quan¬ 
tity  of  crayon  sauce,  the  best  for  all  stumping  purposes.  Most 
crayon  artists  put  in  their  background  with  a  chamois  leather. 
^  cannot  use  a  chamois  skin  upon  permanent  bromide  paper, 
but  a  soft  tuft  of  cotton  is  just  as  effective  and  can  be  manipu¬ 
lated  in  exactly  the  same  manner ;  then  the  fingers  can  be  used 
as  a  stump,  and  the  background  graded  with  the  above  mix¬ 
ture,  worked  with  the  fingers  quicker  and  better  than  with  the 
stump.  If  you  should  get  your  background  too  dark  or  un¬ 
even,  lay  the  picture  flat,  sprinkle  a  little  pumice  powder  over 
it  and  rub  lightly  with  the  fingers  all  over,  using  more  powder 
where  you  wish  your  background  to  be  lighter. 

The  stumping  of  hair,  shadows  in  drapery,  etc.,  can  be  done 
with  a  paper  stump  with  the  mixture  above,  in  exactly  the 
same  manner  as  upon  any  other  paper,  with  the  difference  that 
the  print  being  so  much  more  perfect  in  gradation  and  more 
brilliant  than  a  solar,  there  is  not  near  so  much  stumping 
needed.  In  fact,  a  good  permanent  bromide  enlargement 
needs  very  little  stumping,  the  principal  work  being  sharpen¬ 
ing  and  deepening  with  the  point,  and  flat  tints  with  the  mix¬ 
ture,  over  drapery,  etc.  The  shadows  of  drapery  can  be  deep¬ 
ened  with  Nos.  2  and  3  Conti,  in  the  usual  manner,  softening 
and  grading  with  the  finger  or  stump. 

The  use  of  rubber  and  ink  eraser  for  taking  out  lights  is  well 
known  to  crayon  artists.  The  same  method  of  taking  out  the 
lights  can  be  used  on  permanent  bromide  paper  and  with 
greater  effect,  for  the  lights  can  be  taken  out  cleaner  and  with 
greater  facility  than  upon  absorbent  paper  where  the  crayon  is 
rubbed  right  into  the  fiber  of  the  paper.  Another  advantage 
is  that  you  can  use  the  scraper  upon  these  prints  for  taking  out 
lights  and  even  lightening  dark  places.  With  a  sharp  scraper 
lights  can  be  taken  out  in  lace,  white  draperies,  etc.,  giving 
great  brilliancy  without  abrading  the  paper,  for  the  picture 
being  entirely  upon  the  surface,  you  can  scrape  quite  through 
the  deepest  tint  before  reaching  the  paper  itself. 

The  finishing  of  the  lace  must  be  done  with  a  harder  crayon 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


121 


than  usual,  as  the  harder  surface  of  the  paper  requires  a  harder 
crayon  to  work  upon  it.  The  best  for  the  purpose  is  No  0 
Conti  superfine  m  wood.  A  No.  1  of  the  same  kind  will  also 
be  required  for  the  darker  touches.  This  work  upon  the  face 
is  more  m  the  manner  of  mending  and  joining  gradations  than 
the  usual  work  upon  the  solar,  and  it  is  in  this  respect  that  a 
permanent  bromide  print  is  so  much  superior  to  any  other,  and 
requires  so  much  less  work,  while  the  result  is  much  finer. 

.  Pas*el'~ ^th  the  pastel  there  is  no  difference  in  the  man- 
facility118’  the  gelatino'bromide  takinff  Pastel  with  the  greatest 

Water  Color  and  India  Ink. -  For  water  color  or  ink  it  will 
be  necessary  to  wash  the  surface  of  the  print  with  a  weak  solu- 
ion  of  ammonia  till  all  the  greasiness  disappears,  and  to  be 
careful  not  to  wash  one  color  over  another  till  the  first  is  thor- 
oug  fly  dry,  not  alone  surface-dry,  but  be  careful  that  the  gela¬ 
tine  is  dry  before  washing  over  the  same  place,  or  blisters 
may  result. 

Note.— In  case  any  paste  has  been  allowed  to  get  on  the  face 
ot  the  print,  in  mounting,  it  should  be  washed  off  with  tepid 
water  and  a  soft  sponge,  and  the  print  allowed  to  dry  thor¬ 
oughly  before  any  crayon  work  is  done  on  it, 

It  has  been  found  by  experience  that  prints  take  the  crayon 
better  if  they  have  been  dried  and  afterwards  soaked  in  water 
before  mounting.  The  preliminary  drying  hardens  the  film. 


Very  fine  results  can  be  obtained  by  Mr.  W.  T.  Wilkinson’s 
method,  the  details  of  which  are  as  follows : 


Water, 

Ammonium  bromide, 
Ammonium  iodide, 
Ammonium  chloride, 


10  ounces 
150  grains 
20  grains. 
50  grains. 


When  the  salts  are  dissolved  add  sufficient  hydrochloric  acid 
to  render  the  solution  just  acid.  Add  100  grains  of  soft  gela¬ 
tine,  and  place  in  a  pan  of  co.ld  water;  gradually  raise  the 
water  m  the  pan  to  the  boiling  point,  and  when  the  gelatine  is 
all  dissolved,  add  450  grains  of  silver  nitrate  in  crystals,  and 
shake  vigorously  until  all  the  silver  is  dissolved.  This  last  ad- 


122 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


dition  should  of  course  be  made  in  red  or  yellow  light.  Re¬ 
place  the  bottle  containing  the  emulsion  in  the  water  bath  and 
boil  for  half  an  hour.  Then  add  450  grains  of  hard  gelatine, 
previously  soaked  in  5  ounces  of  cold  water,  pouring  in  all  the 
water.  As  soon  as  this  last  addition  is  dissolved  pour  the  emul¬ 
sion  into  a  flat  porcelain  dish  or  plate,  and  place  in  the  dark  to 
set. 

All  the  after  operations,  breaking  up,  washing,  melting,  Al¬ 
tering  and  coating,  are  the  same  as  described  in  Chapter  VII. 

The  plate  being  intended  for  enlargements  can  be  exposed  as 
soon  as  set  firmly  without  waiting  for  them  to  dry.  After 
exposure,  develop  with  ferrous  oxalate,  and  fix  as  usual. 

For  retouching  these  enlargements,  if  on  ordinary  opal  glass, 
a  coating  of  retouching  varnish  must  be  applied  to  give  the 
necessary  tooth  for  working  up. 

If  preferred,  the  plates  may  be  coated  with  any  of  the  emul¬ 
sions  given  in  Chapter  VII. 

Enlargements  on  Canvas. 

Thoroughly  free  the  canvas  from  grease  by  washing  it  in  a 
dilute  solution  of  carbonate  of  soda,  then  rinse  and  mount  on  a 
stretcher.  When  dry  coat  with  any  of  the  emulsions  given  in 
Chapter  VII.  diluted  one-third  with  water.  The  emulsion  given 
above  for  enlargements  on  opal  glass  gives  exceedingly  fine  re¬ 
sults,  but  it  must  be  diluted  one-third. 

To  coat  the  canvas,  flow  the  emulsion  over  it  till  it  is  completely 
covered,  then  drain  the  emulsion  away  as  closely  as  possible, 
and  hasten  the  setting  by  rocking  the  canvas. 

The  exposure  may  be  made  as  soon  as  the  film  has  set,  or  the 
canvas  may  be  left  to  dry. 

After  the  exposure  is  made,  the  canvas  is  removed  from  the 
stretcher,  and  formed  into  a  tray  by  turning  up  the  edges  and 
clipping  the  corners  with  spring  clothes-pins.  Develop  with 
ferrous  oxalate.  Washing  and  fixing  are  done  by  pouring  the 
solutions  carefully  in  and  out  of  the  tray,  in  order  not  to  wet 
the  back  of  the  canvas,  whi/fli  must  of  course  rest  upon  a 
board  of  the  proper  size. 

When  fixed,  the  canvas  must  be  floated  face  downward  for 
half  an  hour  on  frecpient  changes  of  water,  then  floated  for 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


123 

thirty  minutes  upon  a  saturated  solution  of  alum,  again  floated 
upon  clean  water,  fastened  to  a  stretcher  and  dried.  The  pic¬ 
ture  may  then  be  touched  up  or  painted  to  suit  the  taste  of  the 
operator. 


Enlargements  by  the  Powder  Process. 


An  enlarged  transparency  is  made,  varnished,  and  retouched 
with  the  pencil  wherever  necessary.  A  clean  glass  plate  of  the 
same  size  is  polished  with  French  chalk,  and  coated  with  plain 

collodion.  When  dry,  the  collodion  side  is  coated  with  the 
following : 


Dextrine,  - 
White  sugar,  - 
Bichromate  of  ammonia, 
Water,  - 
Glycerine,  - 


I  dram. 

II  drams. 
i  dram. 

3  ounces 
3  drops. 


The  plate  is  now  dried  in  the  dark  room  with  gentle  heat 
and  exposed,  while  still  warm,  under  the  transparency,  about 
three  to  ten  minutes,  according  to  the  light. 

After  exposure  a  faint  image  will  be  visible  ;  this  is  devel¬ 
oped  by  dusting  on  with  a  fine  camel’s-hair  brush  any  impal¬ 
pable  powder  of  the  desired  color.  Ivory-black  for  black 
tones  ;  ivory-black,  to  which  a  little  Indian  red  has  been  added, 
for  warm  tones. 

When  fully  developed,  the  image  is  covered  with  plain  col¬ 
lodion  and  placed  in  a  dish  filled  with  water,  slightly  acidulated 
with  sulphuric  acid.  As  soon  as  the  water  ceases  to  be  tinged 
with  yellow,  the  plate  is  dried,  and,  when  dried,  transferred  as 
m  the  case  of  carbon  prints,  to  double  transfer  paper,  which 
forms  the  final  support  of  the  print. 


Enlargements  on  Canvas  in  the  Solar  Camera. 

Preparation  of  the  Canvas— Mr.  Vidal's  Method.— 
Painter’s  canvas  is  rubbed  with  fine  emery  and  alcohol  until 
perfectly  smooth  ;  then  rubbed  with  alcohol  until  only  a  thin 
coating  of  paint  remains  on  the  canvas.  This  rubbing  is  to  he 
done  in  circles  beginning  at  the  center,  and  care  must  be  taken 
not  to  lay  the  canvas  bare.  The  canvas  is  then  well  washed  in 
water  and  then  coated  evenly  with  a  paste,  made  of  kaolin  and 


124 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


alcohol.  This  coating  is  allowed  to  dry  hard,  and  the  stretcher  well 
shaken  to  remove  all  superfluous  kaolin.  The  canvas  is  then 
salted  and  sensitized  with  any  of  the  baths  in  common  use. 
After  the  operations  of  toning,  fixing,  washing,  and  drying, 
the  canvas  is  given  a  coating  of  megilp,  and  is  then  ready  for 
the  painter. 

Enlargements  in  the  Solar  Camera  by  Development. 

F ully  printed  enlargements  can  be  obtained  in  the  solar  camera, 
but  with  intense  negatives  the  printing  is  very  much  prolonged. 
In  this  case  the  development  method  may  be  adopted.  In  this 
method  the  partially  printed  paper  is  developed  to  obtain 
detail  and  density.  Mr.  A.  Hesler’s  method,  as  given  in 
“Wilson’s  Photographies,”  is  a  good  one  to  follow. 

Salting  Solution  for  Plain  Paper. 

Skim  milk,  .....  |  gallon. 

Acetic  acid,  No.  8,  -  -  .  .  3  ounces. 

Stir  the  mixture  'well,  and  place  it  in  a  porcelain  dish ; 
gradually  bring  it  to  the  boiling  point,  constantly  stirring. 
The  curd  is  then  strained  through  muslin,  and  the  resulting 
serum,  when  cold,  is  filtered  until  clear.  To  each  ounce  of 
this  is  then  added — 

Iodide  of  potassium,  -  -  -  -  16  grains. 

Bromide  of  potassium,  ...  4  grains. 

The  paper  is  floated  on  this  salting  solution  until  it  lays 
smooth,  avoiding  air  bubbles.  The  paper  is  then  dried  with 
moderate  heat,  and  sensitized  by  floating  two  minutes  on  the 
following 

Sensitizing  Bath. 

Nitrate  of  silver,  ....  -  40  grains. 

Water,  16  ounces. 

Acetic  acid,  .....  2  ounces. 

The  paper  is  exposed  while  damp  in  the  solar  camera,  and 
printed  to  a  depth  corresponding  to  the  intensity  of  the  nega¬ 
tive.  An  intense  negative  requires  printing  until  the  detail 
is  well  out,  and  the  resulting  print  is  developed  with  a  weak 
developer.  Thin  negatives  do  not  need  to  show  any  details  in 
the  print  which  must  be  developed  with  a  strong  developer. 

The  following  solution  gives  a  developer  of  medium  strength  : 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


125 


Development. 


Pyrogallic  acid, 

Water, 

Acetic  acid, 

Citric  acid  (saturated  solution), 


90  grains. 
32  ounces. 

24  ounces. 
10  drops. 


For  prints  from  hard  negatives  use  more  pyro ;  less  for 
prints  from  weak  negatives.  To  develop,  lay  the  print  face 
up  on  a  piece  of  board  or  glass  covered  with  a  piece  of  white 
blottingpaper.  With  one  sweep  of  the  hand  pour  on  enough 
of  the  developer  to  cover  the  print  completely.  If  stains  or 
fog  occur,  either  the  print  is  overtimed  or  light  struck.  If  it 
develops  slowly  and  stains  from  this  cause,  add  more  citric  acid. 
When  the  development  is  complete,  wash  the  print  in  clean 
water  and  fix  in  the  usual  hypo  bath.  Retouching  and  finish¬ 
ing  in  colors  are  done  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  artist. 

Platinum  Enlargement  in  the  Solar  Camera. 

The  following  details  of  the  platinum  enlargement  process 
are  taken  from  the  Platinotype  Company’s  Manual. 

The  sensitizer  is  made  by  dissolving  forty  grains  of  the  solar 
platinum  (black  label),  and  one  ounce  of  the  solar  iron  solution 
(black  label).  The  platinum  salt  will  dissolve  quickly  by  shak- 
ing  it  in  a  bottle  containing  the  iron.  The  solution  should  lie 
used  within  fifteen  minutes. 

Three  and  one-half  drams  of  the  sensitizer  will  cover  a 
25  x  30  sheet.  Other  sizes  require  a  jiroportionate  amount  of 
sensitizer. 

The  paper  should  be  placed  on  a  plate  of  glass  and  held  in 
its  position  by  clips. 

The  sensitizer  should  then  be  applied  to  the  sheet  by  a  tuft 
of  cotton,  in  as  even  a  manner  as  possible.  This  operation 
requires  care.  It  is  better  to  begin  at  one  end  of  the  sheet, 
putting  a  little  of  the  sensitizer  on  at  a  time,  and  gradually 
work  down  to  to  the  end.  It  is  well  to  perform  the  operation 
rather  quickly  to  prevent  the  uneven  soaking  in  of  the 
sensitizer. 

WTien  the  sheet  of  paper  has  been  sensitized  it  should  be  al¬ 
lowed  to  become  surface  dry  and  then  be  perfectly  dried  before 
a  fire  or  stove,  or  in  a  hot  cupboard.  Great  care  must  be  taken 
to  dry  the  paper  thoroughly,  but  without  scorching  it. 


126 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Five  minutes  will  be  sufficient  time  to  allow  the  paper  to  be¬ 
come  surface  dry  before  the  final  drying  takes  place. 

For  solar  work  the  endless  roll  rough  paper  is  generally  used, 
it  being  the  best  for  crayons  and  pastels  ;  but  for  water  colors 
and  ink  pictures  a  thinner  kind  is  preferred.  Thin  papers  are 
not  larger  than  18x22.  In  using  the  thin  paper  for  copies,  un¬ 
sized  paper  will  answer,  and  solar  materials  can  be  used  with  it, 
but  for  very  delicate  work  the  specially  sized  paper  and  con. 
tact  materials  should  be  used. 

Printing. 

Negatives  to  be  printed  in  the  solar  camera  should  be  of  the 
density  of  thin  contact  negatives.  Gelatine  negatives  give 
grayish  prints.  A7  ery  thin  negatives  give  flat  prints,  and  dense 
ones  hard  prints  without  detail.  Sometimes  it  is  better  when 
printing  from  dense  negatives,  to  use  less  platinum  in  the 
sensitizer — 25  grains  to  the  ounce  of  iron  instead  of  40  grains — 
so  also  is  the  opposite  correct  when  printing  from  thin  nega¬ 
tives — 50  grains  will  be  better  than  40  grains. 

Development. 

To  develop  large  solar  prints,  a  V-shaped  trough  should  be 
used.  A  sufficient  quantity  of  developer  is  heated  in  this 
trough  by  a  row  of  small  gas  jets  placed  underneath,  or  by  any 
other  convenient  device.  The  temperature  of  the  solution 
must  not  be  less  than  170  deg.  Falir. 

The  print  is  developed  by  being  slowly  and  steadily  drawn 
through  the  liquid  at  the  bottom  of  the  trough.  It  is  held  under 
the  surface  of  the  liquid  by  a  heavy  glass  rod.  This  glass  rod 
revolves  as  the  print  is  drawn  under  it.  To  perform  this  opera¬ 
tion  with  ease  it  is  better  for  two  persons  to  be  engaged  about 
it.  One  should  hold  the  lower  edge  of  the  print,  dip  it  into 
the  trough,  then  place  the  glass  rod  over  it  and  begin  to  pull 
through  slowly  and  steadily,  the  other  person  holding  the 
upper  edge,  lowers  the  sheet  easily  in  a  corresponding  manner. 

The  developer  is  made  by  dissolving  5  ounces  neutral  oxalate 
potash  in  16  ounces  water. 

It  frequently  happens  that  the  oxalate  potash,  such  as  is 
usually  sold  as  “  Neutral  ”  will,  on  testing,  show  a  strong  alka- 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


127 


line  reaction.  In  such  cases  the  addition  of  a  few  drops  of 
saturated  solution  of  oxalic  acid  will  bring  it  all  right.  But 
care  must  be  taken  to  avoid  making  the  developer  too  acid,  as 
it  will  have  a  tendency  to  make  the  prints  appear  very  black 
and  white,  and  much  of  the  fine  detail  in  the  high-lights  will 
be  destroyed.  A  slightly  acid  solution  will  be  found  the  best. 

Clearing  and  Washing 

After  the  print  is  pulled  through  the  developer  it  should  go 
at  once  to  the  acid  solution.  This  solution  is  made  by  mixing 
4  ounces  C.  P.  muriatic  acid  in  a  two-gallon  pail  full  of  water. 

Always  use  three  acid  baths,  but  the  third  need  not  be 
more  than  half  the  strength.  Clearing  takes  five  minutes  for 
each  bath. 

Washing  takes  three  or  four  rinsings  of  about  five  minutes 
each.  The  prints  can  then  be  hung  up  to  dry. 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  clear  the  prints  well,  using 
plenty  of  acid  solution  and  turning  the  prints  constantly. 

Yellowing  of  the  prints  comes  principally  from  imperfect 
clearing  and  washing,  and  also  from  an  excessively  alkaline  de¬ 
veloping  solution.  For  further  instruction  on  Clearing  and 
Washing  see  the  Chapter  on  Platinotype. 

Precautions  Against  Damp. 

To  secure  the  most  brilliant  results  the  sensitized  paper  be¬ 
fore,  during  and  after  its  exposure  to  light,  should  be  kept  as 
dry  as  possible. 

It  is  of  the  first  importance  that  the  printing  frames  and 
pads  be  quite  dry.  Between  the  sensitized  paper  and  the  pads 
a  thin  sheet  of  vulcanized  india-rubber  may  be  placed  with 
great  advantage. 

The  effect  of  damp  is  seen  in  a  want  of  vigor,  a  general  mud¬ 
diness  of  tone,  and  where  the  sensitized  paper  has  been  ex¬ 
posed  to  its  influence  for  sojne  days,  in  the  impaired  purity  of 
the  whites.  Paper  in  a  damp  state  takes  much  longer  to  print 
than  dry  paper. 

During  the  making  of  solar  prints  the  paper  can  be  kept  dry 
by  oil  lamps,  or  by  a  row  of  gas  jets  placed  at  the  bottom  of 
the  plan  board,  but  this  is  only  necessary  during  damp,  or  hot- 


128 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


damp  weather.  Remember  that  keeping  the  paper  dry  during 
printing  will  effect  great  saving  of  time  in  the  exposure. 

Enlargements  from  Enlarged  Negatives. 

An  enlarged  positive  is  first  made  in  the  copying  camera, 
and  developed,  fixed,  and  washed  as  usual.  The  positive  is 
then  retouched  if  necessary,  and  a  negative  taken  from  it  either 
by  contact  or  in  the  copying  camera.  After  being  touched  up, 
prints  are  taken  from  the  negative  in  the  usual  way.  The  ad¬ 
vantage  of  this  process  is  that  a  double  touching  up  of  weak 
places  is  possible,  and  that  the  printing  from  the  enlarged 
negative  is  more  rapid  than  printing  in  the  solar  camera. 

Carbon  Enlargements. 

Carbon  tissue  of  the  required  size  may  be  used  for  enlarge¬ 
ments  taken  in  the  solar  camera,  or  by  printing  under  an  en¬ 
larged  negative.  The  development  and  subsequent  manipula¬ 
tions  do  not  differ  from  those  described  in  the  Chapter  on  Car¬ 
bon  Printing. 

Mr.  Wm.  H.  Sherman  gives  in  the  “  British  Journal  Pho¬ 
tographic  Annual”  for  1SST,  the  following  description  of  a 
method  of  working  which  may  be  new  to  some  :  “  Gelatine, 

refined  lamp-black,  bichromate  of  potassium,  and  water,  are 
mixed  in  suitable  proportions”  (any  of  the  pigments  given  in 
the  Chapter  on  Carbon  Printing  can  be  employed).  “The 
vessel  containing  these  ingredients  is  placed  in  a  water  bath, 
and  heated  until  complete  admixture  and  the  requisite  degree 
of  fluidity  are  obtained.  It  is  then  applied  to  the  drawing 
paper  upon  which  the  picture  is  to  be  finished,  in  the  form  of 
fine  spray  by  means  of  an  air  blast  from  a  cylinder  charged 
with  compressed  air.”  (For  experimental  work  an  ordinary 
spray  bottle  of  large  size  will  answer  very  well).  “  On  this 
mode  of  applying  the  pigment  the  success  of  the  whole  opera¬ 
tion  depends.  The  coating  thus  applied  is  granular  in  form, 
which  permits  the  light  to  penetrate  it  to  such  an  extent  that 
the  middle  tints  are  saved  from  being  washed  away  in  the  de¬ 
velopment,  thereby  evading  the  necessity  of  a  double  transfer. 

“  The  pigment  dries  rapidly,  when  it  is  ready  to  be  exposed  to 
the  image  of  the  solar  camera,  and  the  requisite  exposure  is 


I  hotographic  printing  methods.  129 

only  about  one-tenth  to  one-fifth  of  that  required  for  silver 
pajier. 

‘‘The  picture  is  developed  by  washing  off  the  soluble  portions 
of  the  pigment  in  hot  water.  For  this  purpose  the  print  is 
wetted  and  placed  m  an  upright  position  on  a  stretcher  covered 
with  muslin ;  the  water,  under  considerable  pressure,  is  shower¬ 
ed  upon  it  through  a  hose  connected  by  a  short  hose  to  a  double 
faucet  supplying  it  with  hot  and  cold  water.  Finally  the 
print  is  washed  to  remove  the  little  remaining  chromium  salt 

from  the  paper,  and  the  print,  when  dry,  is  ready  to  be 
mounted.”  J 


Enlargements  by  the  Collodion  Transfer  Process. 

This  is  the  method  by  which  most  of  the  cheap  enlarge¬ 
ments  are  produced.  The  following  description  is  condensed 
trom  that  given  in  the  ninth  edition  of  Hardwich. 

fc 

The  Exposing  Apparatus. 

.  T]^1S  ^onsists  of  a  base  made  of  two  parallel  pine  boards 
ngidly  fastened  together ;  a  frame  having  a  square  opening 
and  fitted  with  kits  to  take  negatives  of  varying  sizes,  fixed 
at  one  end  of  the  base  boards  ;  a  solid  slab  of  wood  of  a  size 
corresponding  to  the  dimensions  of  the  largest  enlargement 
ikely  to  be  made,  rigidly  fastened  near  the  other  end  of  the 
base,  and  provided  near  its  bottom  with  two  projecting  pins  to 
support  the  plate  during  exposure,  and  a  lens  board  sliding  on 
the  base  between  the  two  end  pieces.  Coarse  adjustment  is 
effected  by  sliding  the  lens  board  back  and  forth  on  the  base 

the  final  focusing  being  done  by  the  rack  and  pinion  on  the 
lens. 

The  apparatus  is  placed  with  the  board  carrying  the  nega¬ 
tive  pointing  upwards  through  a  window  towards  a  part  of  the 
sky  free  from  obstructions,  care  being  taken  to  exclude  all 
white  light  save  that  which  passes  through  the  lens.  A  plate 
of  glass  of  the  same  size  as  the  proposed  enlargement  is 
covered  with  white  paper  and  placed  in  position  on  the  end 
board  to  serve  as  a  focusing  screen.  All  the  adjustments 
effected,  the  focusing  screen  is  removed,  the  collodionized  plate 
put  in  its  place  and  the  exposure  made. 


130 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


The  Collodion. 

To  twenty-five  ounces  of  plain  collodion  containing  about 
seven  or  eight  grains  of  pyroxyline  to  the  ounce,  the  following 


broino-iodizer  is  added : 

Iodide  of  cadmium,  -  -  -  -  65  grains. 

“  ammonium,  ...  25  grains. 

Bromide  of  cadmium,  -  -  -  -  19  grains. 

“  ammonium,  ...  11  grains. 

Alcohol,  ------  5  ounces. 


To  wliicli  lias  been  added  enough  of  an  alcoholic  solution  of 
iodine  to  impart  a  deep  sherry  color. 

The  silver  bath  must  not  exceed  twenty  grains  to  the  ounce. 

The  Developer. 

Pyrogallic  acid,  -----  100  grains. 

Citric  acid,  -----  60  grains. 

Acetic  acid,  -----  2  ounces. 

J* 

Water,  -----  20  ounces. 

The  development  must  not  be  carried  too  far  or  a  heavy 
smudgy  picture  will  result. 

Fix  in  a  saturated  solution  of  hyposuipnite  of  soda. 

The  Transfer. 

The  transfer  paper  may  be  made  by  sponging  plain  white 
paper  with  a  warm  solution  of  gelatine  and  water,  1  to  5,  to 
which,  after  the  gelatine  has  been  soaked  for  half  an  hour  and 
dissolved,  four  grains  of  chrome  alum,  dissolved  in  a  little 
water  have  been  added. 

To  make  the  transfer  a  sheet  of  the  gelatinized  paper  is 
soaked  in  water  until  it  feels  slimy,  and  then  laid  down  upon 
the  wet  collodion,  contact  being  secured  by  lightly  squeegee¬ 
ing.  The  glass  and  paper  are  then  set  aside  to  dry,  when  the 
collodion  film  can  be  stript  from  the  glass.  The  picture  can 
then  be  finished  in  oil  if  desired. 

The  Photo-Crayon  Process. 

This  process,  while  similar  to  that  just  described,  is  simpler, 
and  gives  more  artistic  results.  The  photo-crayon  remains  upon 
the  glass,  which  to  insure  adherence  of  the  film,  should  be 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


131 


sponged  over  with  dilute  albumen,  the  white  of  one  egg  to  a 
quart  of  water,  before  collodionizing. 

The  operations  of  exposing,  developing,  and  fixing  are  the 
same  as  described  in  the  last  process.  The  picture  must,  how¬ 
ever,  be  vignetted  by  inserting  a  piece  of  card-board,  having  a 
suitable  opening,  between  the  lens  and  the  sensitive  plate. 

To  improve  the  tone  it  is  well  to  flow  over  the  surface  of  the 
developed  image  a  weak  solution  of  chloride  of  gold  or  chlo¬ 
ride  of  platinum. 

A  sheet  of  drawing  paper  is  placed  behind  the  enlarged 
transparency  in  close  contact  with  the  film  side.  The  picture 
now  has  the  appearance  of  having  been  drawn  on  the  paper. 
This  effect  is  lieigthened  by  sketching  upon  the  drawing  paper 
a  few  sketchy,  crayon-like  lines,  surmounting  and  merging  in¬ 
to  the  vignetting  of  the  bust. 


\ 


* 


132 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


CHAPTEK  XII. 

TRANSPARENCIES  AND  LANTERN  SLIDES. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  about  the  superiority  of  a  trans¬ 
parency  from  a  negative  over  a  positive  on  paper  of  the  same 
subject.  The  transparency  possesses  greater  apparent  .solid¬ 
ity,  truer  perspective,  and  greater  perfection  of  detail.  Then, 
too,  there  can  be  no  doubt  about  the  greater  permanency  of 
prints  on  glass.  The  glass  positive  is  also  more  easily  and 
quickly  produced  than  the  print  on  paper. 

The  favorite  processes  for  this  class  of  work  are  the  follow¬ 
ing  :  The  carbon  process,  albumen,  collodio-chloride,  wet  col¬ 
lodion,  gelatino-bromide. 

The  order  of  this  classification  is  given  by  Mr.  Ellerslie 
Wallace  as  representing  the  comparative  values  of  these  pro¬ 
cesses  for  the  manufacture  of  lantern  slides. 

For  the  production  of  window  transparencies,  however,  the 
gelatino-bromide  process  will  with  care  yield  results  which 
will  satisfy  the  most  critical.  Full  details  for  making  the 
different  emulsions  mentioned  above  will  be  given  later. 

The  following  instructions  for  the  production  of  transpar¬ 
encies  for  the  window,  taken  from  Mr.  W.  I.  Lincoln  Adams’ 
article  on  that  subject  in  the  “American  Annual  of  Photog¬ 
raphy  for  1887,”  will  be  found  complete  and  satisfactory,  be¬ 
ing  from  the  pen  of  an  expert : 

“  In  my  own  practice,  I  use  the  slowest  obtainable  emulsion 
of  a  well-known  brand  of  dry  plates,  and  select  as  my  nega¬ 
tives  for  this  purpose,  those  possessing  the  greatest  technical 
merit,  other  things  being  equal,  and  of  slightly  denser  films 
perhaps,  than  are  required  for  making  good  silver  prints. 
The  printing  may  be  done  by  any  actinic  light  that  is  not  too 
powerful  in  its  action.  Diffused  sunlight,  gas  or  petroleum 
light  are  most  generally  employed  for  this  purpose,  but  to 
avoid  confusion,  it  is  well  to  use  always  the  same  light,  and 
of  the  same  intensity. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC)  PRINTING  METHODS. 


133 


“  Wlien  taking  up  a  new  negative,  whose  printing  qualities 
are  unknown,  I  first  determine  the  correct  time  for  exposure 
by  printing  a  portion  of  it  upon  a  smaller  plate.  I  can  then 
pioceed  with  certainty,  and  make  any  number  of  positives, 
all  of  which  will  possess  the  same  amount  of  density  and  de¬ 
tail,  and  be  uniform  in  all  their  other  qualities.  If  the  small 
plate  be  under  or  over-exposed,  little  more  is  lost  than  the 
time  used  in  developing  it,  and  this  slight  loss  is  more  than 
compensated  for  by  the  knowledge  gained. 

“  Panting  a  negative  upon  a  plate  large  enough  to  leave  a 
liberal  margin  gives  effect  to  the  finished  transparency,  when 
it  is  framed  with  a  ground  glass  having  a  fancy  etched  border. 
When  printing  upon  plates  ot  the  same  size  as  the  negative, 
it  is  always  best  to  employ  a  mat  of  black  needle  paper,  or 
some  other  thin,  non-actinic  substance,  in  order  to  obtain 
straight  margins  on  the  finished  glass  positive.  Use  a  deep 
printing  trame,  and  in  it,  a  plain  clean  glass  as  a  support. 
Fiist  place  in  the  frame  the  glass,  and  upon  it  the  mat ;  then, 
facing  upwards  the  negative,  carefully  adjusted  upon  the  mat, 
and  upon  this,  film  side  down,  the  sensitive  plate.  It  is  al¬ 
ways  well  to  place  on  the  back  of  the  plate  a  dark  pad  which 
not  only  holds  the  plates  well  together,  but  also  prevents  any 
reflection  that  might  otherwise  occur. 

Before  developing,  immerse  the  plate  in  pure  water  for  a 
few  moments,  and  brush  its  film  carefully  with  a  camel’s-hair 
brush  to  rid  it  of  any  air  bubbles  that  may  be  adhering  to  its 
surface.  He  who  makes  transparencies  must  be  more  than 
usually  careful  in  all  the  details  of  manipulation.  He  must 
have  his  trays  and  utensils  perfectly  clean,  and  his  hands  free 
from  the  slightest  trace  of  hyposulphite  of  soda  or  other  chem¬ 
icals.  With  the  neutral  oxalate  of  potash  and  iron  developer, 
the  merest  hint  of  the  presence  of  hypo  will  cause  a  disagree¬ 
able  black  stain  which  is  not  easily  removed.  A.  hyposulphite 
of  soda  solution  in  the  proportion  of  one  part  hypo  to  5,000 
parts  water  is  used  as  an  accelerator  in  oxalate  development, 
so  it  is  not  difficult  to  see  how  a  drop  of  a  strong  solution  of 
hypo  from  the  finger  or  tray,  coming  into  contact  with  the 
film,  suddenly  develops  the  place  where  it  touches  into  a  dense 
black  spot.  Defects  of  different  kinds  in  a  negative  can  often 


134 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


be  overcome  in  printing,  but  a  blemish  on  a  glass  positive  is 
one  on  the  finished  product.  Let  the  beginner  therefore  bear 
this  in  mind  when  making  transparencies,  and  be,  accordingly, 
extremely  careful  in  every  respect. 

“  There  are  several  developers  published,  more  or  less  highly 
recommended  for  transparencies,  any  one  of  which,  carefully 
followed,  will  undoubtedly  produce  fine  results,  but  my  own 
is  a  very  simple  one,  and  easy  to  manage.  I  make  saturated 
solutions  of  neutral  oxalate  of  potash  and  protosulphate  of 
iron,  and  acidify  the  former  solution  with  citric  acid,  and  the 
latter  with  sulphuric  acid.  The  oxalate  dissolves  at  the  usual 
temperature  of  water  in  a  dark  room  (about  70  deg.  Fahr.),  in 
the  proportion  of  one  part  oxalate  to  three  parts  water,  and, 
being  neutral,  requires  but  a  few  grains  of  the  citric  acid  to 
slowly  turn  blue  litmus  paper  red.  Six  parts  of  protosulphate 
of  iron  will  dissolve  in  ten  parts  water,  and  the  whole  may  be 
rendered  acid  by  several  drops  of  strong  sulphuric  acid. 

“  To  start  development,  I  use  a  solution  composed  of  six 
parts  of  the  oxalate  solution  to  one  part  of  the  iron,  and  after¬ 
ward,  if  necessary,  I  add  a  few  drops  of  a  ten  per  cent,  solu¬ 
tion  of  bromide  of  potassium.  It  is  best  to  develop  slowly. 

“  The  fixing  must  be  thorough.  The  rule  often  given  to 
beginners  for  determining  when  a  plate  is  fixed  is  by  no  means 
a  safe  one.  The  plate  must  remain  in  the  hyposulphite  of 
soda  some  time  after  all  the  milky-white  appearance  has  gone 
from  the  back.  After  the  visible  bromide  of  silver  has  been 
reduced,  there  yet  remains  a  double  salt,  which,  though  invis¬ 
ible,  is  sensitive  to  light,  and,  if  left  in  the  film,  will  discolor 
it.  This  double  salt  is  soluble  in  hyposulphite  of  soda  ;  so,  if 
the  plate  be  left  long  enough  in  the  fixing  bath,  it  will  dissolve 
out  of  the  film.  A  very  excellent  wTay  to  accomplish  the 
thorough  fixing  of  a  plate  is  to  employ  two  hypo  baths.  Im¬ 
merse  in  the  first  solution  until  all  the  visible  bromide  of  sil¬ 
ver  has  been  reduced,  and  then  put  the  plate  into  the  second 
and  fresh  hypo  bath  to  dissolve  the  invisible  double  salt.  Ten 
minutes  will  ordinarily  suffice  to  accomplish  this. 

“  A  good  strength  for  the  hypo  solution  is 

Hyposulphite  of  soda,  ...  4  ounces. 

Water,  -  -  .  -  .  20  ounces. 


PHOTOGRAPH  IC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


135 


u  After  tlie  fixing  is  completed,  the  plate  must  be  washed 
for  a  few  minutes,  in  running  water,  if  possible,  before  im. 
merging  in  the  clearing  bath.  I  use  the  formula  given  by 
Mr.  Car  butt  for  this  purpose,  and  allow  the  plate  to  remain  in 
the  solution  about  one  minute. 

“  The  formula  is  as  follows  : 

Water,  -----  20  ounces. 

Pulverized  alum,  ....  ounce. 

Sulphuric  acid,  ....  *  ounce. 

u  The  plate  is  now  ready  for  its  final  washing.  If  running 
water  is  not  to  be  had,  by  means  of  two  bent  wires  a  support 


can  be  made  in  a  tray,  as  shown  in  the  cut,  which  will  allow 
of  the  plates  being  washed,  film  side  down. 

a  But  if  this  is  done,  the  water  must  be  changed  every  ten 
or  fifteen  minutes  until  the  washing  is  complete,  which  will 
require  about  one  hour.  Before  setting  in  a  rack  to  dry,  it  is 
well  to  go  over  the  surface  of  the  transparency  with  a  soft 
camel’s-hair  brush  while  the  water  is  flowing  over  it.  This 
removes  any  little  specks  or  particles  that  might  otherwise  dry 
on  the  film.  When  dry,  the  back  of  the  plate  can  be  easily 
and  effectively  cleaned  by  a  tuft  of  cotton  moistened  with 
weak  ammonia. 

“  There  are  several  ways  for  mounting  transparencies,  but 
undoubtedly  the  finest  effect  is  obtained  by  framing  them  with 
etched  ground  glass  in  the  neat  nickel  frames  provided  by 
the  dealers.  The  ground  glass  is  placed  against  the  trans¬ 
parency,  rough  side  to  the  film,  and  the  two  plates  secured  in 
the  frame.” 

Plain  white  glass  coated  with  the  following  emulsion  will 


136 


PHOTOGRAPHIC)  PRINTING  METHODS. 


produce  a  ground  glass  effect  with  finer  grain  than  can  be 
found  in  most  ground  glass. 


1.  Water,  -  100  parts. 

Gelatine,  .....  5  parts. 

Chloride  of  barium,  ...  0  parts. 

2. — Water,  -  -  '  -  -  -  100  parts. 

Sulphate  of  soda,  -  -  .  -  15  parts. 

Gelatine, . 5  parts. 


When  these  solutions  are  mixed,  a  white  emulsion  of  sul¬ 
phate  of  baryta  is  formed.  When  set,  the  emulsion  is  broken 
up  and  washed  for  some  time  in  running  water,  to  remove  the 
bye-product,  chloride  of  sodium.  The  emulsion  is  then  melted 
and  filtered,  and  the  glasses  coated  in  the  usual  way. 

The  Carbon  Process. 

The  following  method  is  recommended  : 

The  formula  for  making  the  jelly  and  a  detailed  description 
of  the  sensitizing  mixture,  exposure  and  development  will  be 
found  in  the  Chapter  on  Carbon  Printing,  and  need  not  be  re¬ 
peated  here. 

Any  color  of  tissue  may  be  used,  but  preference  is  to  be 
given  to  black  or  purple.  For  black  tissue  nothing  is  better 
than  the  following : 

Jelly,  .  -8  ounces. 

Indian  ink,  -  -  ...  .  50  grains. 

The  paper  is  coated  with  this  mixture,  dried,  and  sensitized 
by  immersion  for  three  minutes  in  a  1  to  20  bichromate  of 
potash  bath.  It  is  then  placed  on  a  piece  of  clean  glass,  and 
the  superfluous  moisture  swept  off  with  a  squeegee,  and  hung 
up  to  dry  in  a  room  heated  if  necessary,  to  about  60  deg. 
Fahr. 

As  soon  as  dry,  cut  the  tissue  down  to  the  required  size  and 
keep  in  a  dark  place.  The  tissue  should  be  exposed  soon  after 
drying.  The  printing  is  done  as  for  carbon  prints,  using  a 
safe  edge.  One  or  two  tints  of  the  actinometer  will  indicate 
sufficient  exposure  in  most  cases. 

Development  is  the  same  as  given  in  the  Chapter  on  Carbon 
Printing,  using  for  support  old  uarter-plate  negative  glasses 
most  thoroughly  cleaned. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


137 


.  yaust  coated  with  a  very  weak  solution  of  Ra¬ 

tine,  containing  one  grain  of  chrome  alum  to  the  ounce ;  the 
ooating  is  easily  and  quickly  done  by  taking  the  glasses  from 
the  rinsing  water  when  washing,  and  flowing  over  them  enough 
of  the  gelatine  solution  to  cover  them  well ;  this  displaces  the 
surface  moisture  and  is  to  be  followed  by  a  second  flowing. 

The  glasses  are  then  racked  away  to  dry  in  a  room  free  from 
dust. 

The  exposed  pieces  of  tissue  are  cemented  to  the  gelatinized 
glasses  in  the  usual  manner,  and  development  proceeded  with. 
The  gelatinized  glass  plates  form  the  permanent  support. 
Any  degree  of  intensity  or  change  in  tone  may  be  obtained 
by  using  a  weak  solution  of  permanganate  of  potash  or  any  of 
the  aniline  dyes. 

As  soon  as  dry,  the  transparencies  are  ready  for  mounting, 
and,  if  all  the  operations  have  been  carefully  and  intelligently 

performed,  they  will  be  found  to  excel  in  clearness,  delicacy, 
and  gradation. 

Albumen  Method. 

To  prepare  the  albumen,  the  whites  of  several  eggs  are  sep¬ 
arated  from  the  yolks,  all  the  germs  removed,  and  to  every 
ounce  of  albumen  two  grains  of  iodide  of  potassium  are  added. 
As  soon  as  the  iodide  is  dissolved,  beat  the  albumen  to  a  froth, 
and  set  aside  for  several  hours  to  settle.  Then  decant  the 
clear  portion.  If  the  decanted  liquid  is  bright  and  clear,  it  is 
ready  for  use ;  but  if  any  particles  are  seen,  it  must  be  filtered 
until  clear,  by  pouring  it  upon  a  tuft  of  damp  cotton  placed  in 
a  glass  funnel. 

Coating  the  Plates. — The  plates  are  well  cleaned,  levelled, 
and  given  a  thin  coating  of  the  albumen,  and  allowed  to  dry. 

To  Sensitize  the  Plates . — Sensitizing  is  done  by  yellow 
light,  by  immersing  the  plates  for  30  seconds  in  a  dipping- 
bath  filled  with  the  following  solution  : 

Nitrate  of  silver . 30  grains 

Glacial  acetic  acid,  -  -  .  .  30  drops. 

Water-  ------  1  ounce. 

.  Aftei  sensitizing,  the  plates  are  washed  to  remove  the  free 
nitrate  of  silver,  and  sat  aside  to  dry.  They  will  keep  good 
for  several  days. 


13S 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Exposure. — Full  exposure  must  be  given  to  avoid  cold 
tones ;  6  to  8  minutes  in  tlie  shade  under  a  negative  of  me¬ 
dium  density ;  but  it  is  well  to  use  the  actinometer  described 
in  the  Chapter  on  Carbon  Planting. 

Development. — Development  is  effected  by  pouring  the  fol¬ 
lowing  solutions  on  the  plate,  placed  on  a  levelling  stand  or  in 
a  glass  dish. 

O 


1.  — Pyrogallic  acid,  ....  2  grains. 

Citric  acid,  -  -  -  .  -3  grains. 

Water,  -  -  -  -  1  ounce. 

2.  — Nitrate  of  silver,  ....  20  grains. 

Citric  acid,  -----  60  grains. 

Water,  ------  1  ounce. 


Begin  development  with  No.  1,  adding  a  few  drops  of  No. 
2,  now  and  then,  as  required.  Properly  exposed  and  devel¬ 
oped,  detail  and  density  will  be  obtained  together. 

Fixing  and  Toning. — The  plate  is  fixed  in  a  1  to  5  hypo¬ 
sulphite  of  soda  solution.  After  a  most  thorough  washing,  it 
is  toned  in  a  saturated  solution  of  bichloride  of  mercury.  The 
plate  is  left  in  this  solution  until  completely  whitened.  It  is 
then  thoroughly  washed  and  immersed  in  a  solution  of  ammo¬ 
nia  (ammonia,  20  drops ;  water,  1  ounce),  until,  by  transmitted 
light,  the  tone  is  a  rich  sepia  brown.  It  is  then  removed,  thor¬ 
oughly  washed,  and  set  aside  to  dry. 

The  Collodio-Chloride  Process.  • 

The  method  of  working  this  process  has  already  been  given 
under  the  title  Collodio-Chloride  Paper  in  Chapter  VII. 

For  transparencies  the  same  method  is  to  be  employed,  sub¬ 
stituting  glass  for  paper,  and  omitting  the  enamel  substratum. 
For  flowing  the  glass,  a  pneumatic  holder  will  be  found  a  ne¬ 
cessity. 

The  Gelatino-Bromide  Process. 

The  formula  and  details  given  for  making  gelatino-bromide 
emulsion  in  Chapter  VII.  will  be  found  to  give  the  best  results. 

The  Gelatino-Chloride  Process. 

All  necessary  formulae  and  directions  for  working  this  pro¬ 
cess  have  already  been  given  m  Chapter  VII. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS.  139^ 

A  few  additional  developers  are  here  given  for  the  develop¬ 
ment  methods. 


No.  1. — For  Warm  Tones. 


Citrate  of  potassium,  - 
Oxalate  of  potassium,  - 

Hot  water,  . 

136  grains. 
44  grains. 
1  ounce. 

No.  2. — For  Cold  Tones. 

Citric  acid,  .... 

Carbonate  of  ammonia,  - 

Cold  water,  .... 

120  grains. 
88  grains. 
1  ounce. 

To  three  parts  of  either  of  these  add  one  part  of  the  follow¬ 
ing  at  the  time  of  using : 


Sulphate  of  iron, 
Sulphuric  acid, 
Water,  - 


140  grains. 
1  drop. 

1  ounce. 


Levy’s  Collodion  Emulsion. 


Before  the  •advent  of  bromo-gelatine  plates,  Levy’s  emulsion 
was  considered  by  many  the  best,  both  for  negative  and  posi¬ 
tive  work.  Although  in  great  measure  superseded  by  the 
more  rapid  gelatine  process,  its  many  good  qualities  should 
preserve  it  from  oblivion.  For  lantern  slides  it  is  particularly 
valuable,  as  there  is  no  deposit  in  the  high  lights,  the  details  in 

the  shadows  are  perfect,  and  the  tone  of  the  slide  is  all  that 
can  be  desired. 


The  detailed  description  is  as  follows  ; 
For  54  ounces  of  emulsion, 


L — Bromide  of  cadmium, 
Alcohol  (absolute), 
Iodide  of  ammonium, 
Cotton  (cream),  - 
Ether, 

2. — Nitrate  of  silver, 
Distilled  water, 
Alcohol,  - 
Nitric  acid,  - 


648  grains. 
18  ounces. 
162  grains. 
486  grains. 
27  ounces. 
900  grains. 
360  drops. 

9  ounces. 
270  drops. 


Pour  No.  1  into  FTo.  2  and  leave  exactly  ten  hours,  then 
add  99  grains  of  green  chloride  of  copper. 

Method  of  Making  the  Emulsion. — Place  the  bromide  of 
cadmium  in  a  porcelain  capsule  and  dry  by  gentle  heat.  It 


140 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


will  first  soften  and  boil,  and  care  must  be  taken  that  the  bub¬ 
bles  in  breaking  do  not  throw  out  any  of  the  salt.  Stir  gently 
with  a  glass  rod  to  prevent  the  bromide  from  adhering  to  the 
sides  of  the  capsule.  Continue  the  boiling  until  the  bromide 
assumes  the  form  of  a  fine  powder.  This  is  to  be  most  care¬ 
fully  scraped  out  of  the  capsule,  and  dissolved  in  one-half  of 
the  given  quantity  of  alcohol,  shaking  the  bottle  until  solution 
is  complete.  The  iodide  of  ammonium,  which  should  be  of  a 
light  yellow  color,  is  now  added  and  dissolved.  Then  add  the 
cotton  and  shake  well ;  lastly,  add  the  ether  and  shake  again. 

Now  put  the  nitrate  of  silver  into  a  second  bottle  and  add 
the  water  bv  actual  drops,  not  measuring  it.  To  effect  solution 
put  the  bottle  into  a  warm  water  bath  until  the  crystals  are 
dissolved ;  then  add  the  remaining  13£  ounces  of  alcohol  and 
the  acid.  The  alcohol  may  precipitate  the  silver,  but  this  does 
not  affect  the  quality  of  the  emulsion. 

All  the  above  operations  may  be  performed  in  full  daylight ; 
the  remaining  manipulations  must,  however,  be  carried  out  by 
yellow  light. 

The  silver  solution,  after  vigorous  shaking,  is  added  to  the 
collodion,  half  an  ounce  at  a  time,  shaking  well  after  each  ad¬ 
dition.  When  all  the  silver  solution  is  added,  place  the  bath 
in  a  dark  room  for  exactly  ten  hours,  shaking  it  occasionally. 
Then  add  the  chloride  of  copper,  which  must  have  been  dried 
in  a  porcelain  capsule  by  gentle  heat  until  it  assumes  a  brown¬ 
ish  color ;  the  chloride  must  be  weighed  after  it  is  dried  to  in¬ 
sure  accuracy  in  the  weight.  The  bottle  is  well  shaken  after 
the  addition  of  the  chloride,  and  the  emulsion  after  filtration 
through  cotton  is  finished. 

Coating  the  Plates. — Put  the  plate  on  a  pneumatic  holder 
held  in  the  left  hand,  pour  the  emulsion  on  the  plate  with  the 
right.  Rock  gently  a  few  times  and  drain  off  the  surplus  into 
the  bottle.  When  the  film  has  well  set,  rinse  in  cold  distilled 
water  until  the  repellant  action  due  to  the  alcohol  and  ether 
disappears. 

The  plate  is  then  well  drained,  placed  on  the  pneumatic 
holder  and  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  following  preservative 
flowed  over  it  for  a  minute  : 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


141 


Tincture  nux  vomica,  -  100  drams. 

Tincture  scilla,  -  -  -  -  -  42  drams. 

Tincture  cochineal,  120  drams. 

Honey,  ------  20  ounces. 

Acetic  acid, . 20  drams. 

The  plates  are  how  dried,  exposed  under  the  negatives  and 
developed  with  the  following  developer  : 

Carbonate  of  soda,  -  -  -  -  1  ounce. 

Bromide  of  ammonium,  -  -  .  -  80  grains. 

Honey> . 1  dram. 

pyro- . 20  grains. 

Water,  ------  16  ounces. 

Development  is  best  effected  by  pouring  the  developer  on 
and  off  the  plate. 

For  over-exposure,  dilute  the  developer  with  water.  For 
under-exposure,  double  the  strength  of  the  developer. 

Lantern  Slides  on  Wet  Plates. 

Mr.  E.  P.  Griswold  recommends  the  following  method  : 

The  Silver  Bath. — Forty  grains  of  silver  nitrate  to  the 
ounce  of  water,  acidified  with  nitric  acid. 

The  Collodion. — Any  good  make  well  ripened,  with  the  ad¬ 
dition  of  one  drop  of  glacial  acetic  acid  to  each  ounce. 


The  Developer. 

Water,  ------  64  ounces. 

Double  sulphate  of  iron  and  ammonia,  -  -  4  ounces. 

Acetic  acid  No.  8,  4  ounces. 

Rock  candy,  -  -  .  .  1  ounce. 

The  Toning  Bath. 

Saturated  solution  of  bichloride  of  mercury,  -  16  ounces. 

Bichloride  of  palladium  (liq.),  -  -  15  grains. 


To  Collodionize  the  Plate. — Take  the  pneumatic  holder, 
with  the  glass  attached,  in  the  left  hand  ;  with'  the  right  hand 
pour  on  sufficient  of  the  collodion  to  cover  two-thirds  of  the 
glass ;  rock  gently  and  allow  the  surplus  to  drain  back  into  the 
bottle  from  the  right-hand  lower  corner  of  the  plate.  As  soon 
as  the  film  has  become  tacky,  put  the  plate  on  the  dipper  (an 
instrument  used  for  lowering  the  plate  into  the  sensitizing 
bath),  keeping  it  in  a  horizontal  position  in  order  that  the  film 
may  dry  evenly  before  it  is  immersed  in  the  bath. 


142 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Sensitizing. — The  sensitizing  solution  is  kept  in  the  vertical 
glass  dipping  bath.  Into  this  the  plate  is  slowly  lowered  with¬ 
out  any  stoppage,  and  allowed  to  remain  until  the  film  appears 
smooth  and  free  from  greasiness.  It  is  then  ready  for  exposure. 

Develojyment. — The  above  developer  is  reduced  with  pure 
water  about  one-third  and  is  then  poured  completely  over  the 
film.  The  plate  is  gently  rocked  to  prevent  the  developer 
from  collecting  in  pools,  and  the  development  continued  until 
the  details  are  just  defined.  Then  wash  well  and  tone  to  the 
required  density.  Again  wash  and  fix  in  hypo.  After  fixing, 
the  plate  is  allowed  to  soak  in  a  saturated  solution  of  chloride 
of  barium  until  the  next  plate  is  ready  for  the  same  bath.  This 
process  gives  very  brilliant  transparencies  and  slides.  The  fol¬ 
lowing  very  complete  description  of  the  production  of  glass 
positives  on  “  gelatino-albumen  plates”  is  by  Mr.  John  Carbutt, 
and,  therefore,  possesses  exceptional  value  : 

Transparencies  and  IIow  to  Make  Them. 

There  are  various  methods  and  processes  for  making  trans¬ 
parencies,  many  of  which  have  passed  into  history. 

At  the  present  time  two  processes  are  in  common  use  in  Amer¬ 
ica,  viz.,  the  old  wet  collodion  process,  and  the  new  gelatine 
dry  plates  ;  the  first  is  limited  in  use  by  those  making  lantern 
slides  mainly  for  advertising  purposes,  while  the  new  gelatine 
dry  plate,  of  the  special  kind  made  for  producing  transparen¬ 
cies,  known  as  Carbutt’s  Gelatino-albumen  Plate,  is  uni¬ 
versally  used  by  amateurs  and  the  professional  portrait  and 
landscape  photographer ;  and  it  is  in  the  use  of  these  plates 
we  now  proceed  to  describe  how  to  produce  from  your  negar 
five  what  is  conceded  the  finest  positive  obtainable. 

The  requisites  for  contact  printing  are  a  deep  printing  frame, 
a  size  larger  than  the  negative  to  be  used,  with  a  flat  glass  bot¬ 
tom  free  from  scratches ;  crystal  plate  is  best ;  some  thin  red 
enamelled  label  paper  for  masks,  a  Carbutt  “  Multum  in  Parvo” 
Lantern,  or  other  artificial  light,  and  transparency  plates  of  suita¬ 
ble  size.  T  hose  for  lantern  slides  are  made  on  thin  crystal  glass 
of  the  now  accepted  standard  size,  3^x4  inches.  For  the  larger 
size  transparencies  they  are  now  made  on  fine  ground  glass, 
which  has  the  advantage  over  the  clear  glass  since  the  image 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


143 


is  rendered  in  its  right  position,  when  made  by  contact  with 
the  negative,  just  as  a  silver  print  would  he,  the  obscured  side 
of  the  glass  being  back  of  the  image,  it  only  remains  to  cover 
it  with  a  clear  cover-glass  and  mount  in  a  suitable  sized  metal 
frame  sold  for  that  purpose.  The  transparency  need  not  be 
confined  to  the  size  of  the  negative  ;  the  image  can  be  enlarged 
or  reduced  to  suit  taste  and  circumstances ;  nor  is  it  abso¬ 
lutely  necessary,  for  the  purpose  of  enlarging  or  reducing  the 
image,  that  a  camera  for  that  purpose  be  provided,  if  the  use 
of  a  small  room  can  be  commanded,  and  the  light  shut  out  all 
but  one  light  in  the  lower  sash.  Over  this  light  must  be  placed, 
and  covering  the  entire  surface,  a  light  of  fine  ground  glass 
which  will  give  an  even  ditfused  light,  passing  through  the 
negative ;  beneath  this  a  support  for  the  negative  should  be 
placed.  The  same  camera  and  lens,  used  for  making-  the  neg-a- 
tive,  can  be  used  for  making  the  transparency,  providing 
the  image  is  to  be  reduced  in  size,  and  the  negative  can  be  held 
upright  in  one  of  the  plate-liolders,  removing  the  septum  and 
dark-slides  and  placing  the  holder  with  the  negative  on  the  sup¬ 
port  before  the  light  passing  through  the  ground  glass.  The 
camera  itself  may  be  supported  on  a  board,  raised  to  such  a 
height  that  the  lens  will  center  with  the  center  of  the  nega- 
tive,  care  being  taken  in  adjusting  it  that  the  side  of  the  cam¬ 
era  and  the  face  of  the  plate-holder,  holding  the  negative, 
forms  a  perfect  right  angle.  If  it  is  desirable  to  make  an  en¬ 
larged  transparency,  say  from  a  4x5  or  5x8  negative  to  an  8x10 
plate,  the  same  camera  and  lens  may  be  used,  but  the  ground 
glass  of  the  camera  must  be  removed,  allowing  the  magnified 
image  to  pass  through  the  camera  onto  the  sensitive  plate,  sup¬ 
ported  in  an  upright  position  at  the  distance  found  to  be  correct. 
To  ascertain  this,  the  camera  with  its  lens  should  slide  easily  be¬ 
tween  two  strips,  for  unless  your  camera  is  provided  with  a 
front  rack  movement,  you  will  have  to  move  the  camera,  and 
with  it  the  lens  to  obtain  a  focus,  using  a  light  of  glass  on 
which  is  stretched  a  piece  of  white  paper  to  obtain  a  focus, 
and  placed  against  a  support  on  the  board  carrying  the 
camera,  and  at  right  angles  with  the  base  of  it.  This  is  suppos- 
ing  you  are  working  in  a  room  in  which  all  light,  except  that 
passing  through  the  negative,  is  excluded.  Before  placing  the 


144 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


negative  m  the  holder  or  support,  if  it  is  desirable  to  have  a 
margin  on  the  transparency,  cut  out  a  mask  from  the  thin 
red  enamelled  paper  or  tin-foil,  and  place  on  the  face  of  the 
negative,  being  careful  to  see  that  the  margin  shows  equally 
around  the  large  plate  or  focusing  screen. 

Now,  while  the  above  description  will  enable  any  one  to 
produce  enlarged  or  reduced  transparencies  from  their  nega¬ 
tives,  it  is  but  a  makeshift,  and  will  be  found  to  entail  <rreat 
loss  of  time  and  uncertainty  in  working,  all  of  which  can  be 
avoided  by  using  a  properly  constructed  camera,  such  as  that 
made  by  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Co.*  The  writer  of  this 
article  has  had  one  in  use  for  years.  The  end  holding  the 
negative  has  adjustments  for  centering  the  image,  and  the 
extended  range  of  adjustment  of  the  lens  enables  a  lantern 
transparency  to  be  made  from  an  8x10  negative,  or  vice  versa, 
an  8x10  transparency  from  a  3^x4^,  or  other  intermediate  size 
negatives. 

Having  explained  the  tools  required,  we  will  now  proceed 
with  describing  the  chemicals  required  and  the  making  of  the 
transparencies. 

Of  chemicals  the  following  will  be  required  : 


Neutral  oxalate  of  potash,  - 
Sulphate  of  iron, 
Hyposulphite  of  soda, 
Alum,  ... 
Citric  acid,  - 
Liquor  ammonia, 

Plain  collodion  varnish, 


-  1  pound. 

1  pound. 

-  5  pounds. 
1  pound. 

-  £  pound. 

4  ounces. 

-  8  ounces. 


Too  much  stress  cannot  be  laid  on  procuring  chemicals  of 
the  greatest  purity,  and  known  to  be  made  for  use  in  photog¬ 
raphy  ;  especially  is  it  necessary  that  the  first  two  articles 
named  should  be  pure.  Many  have  been  disappointed  in  their 
efforts  at  transparency  making  by  applying  to  the  country 
druggist  for  oxalate  of  potash,  and  have  been  supplied  with 
bin-oxalate  of  potash.  Be  careful,  therefore,  to  procure  the 
chemicals  from  a  reliable  dealer  in  photographic  materials.  In 
compounding  the  solutions,  first  prepare,  by  a  thorough  clean¬ 
sing,  suitable  sized  bottles.  For  the  bulky  solutions,  nothing  is 


*  Described  in  the  Chapter  on  Enlargements. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS.  245 

better  than  the  ordinary  glass  preserve  jar,  and  for  labels,  a 
sate  plan  is  to  cut  from  the  circular  accompanying  the  plates 
you  are  to  use,  the  formulas,  and  paste  them  on  the  glass  jar 
to  contain  the  solution  it  describes.  Next  in  importance  is  the 
water,  clear  soft  river  or  spring  water,  melted  ice  or  distilled 

as  most  convenient,  but  not  hard  water  containing  lime  in 
solution. 

We  will  now  describe  a  very  excellent  plan  we  have  used  for 
years  m  dissolving  large  crystals  that  does  away  with  the 
use  of  a  pestal  and  mortar.  For  the  A  solution  of  the  follow¬ 
ing  formulas,  choose  a  half  gallon  glass  preserve  jar,  and 
mr  the  B  solution  a  quart  jar.  Measure  into  each  one  the 
quantity  of  water  required,  except  that  in  the  B  solution  a  few 
ounces  of  the  water  may  be  reserved  until  after  solution  of  the 
iron  salt  and  then  added.  To  dissolve  the  salts  so  as  to  need  no 
after-filtering,  take  a  common  domestic  salt  bag,  wash  it  to  free 
from  salt ;  in  this  place  the  crystals  and  suspend  it  in  the  water 
so  that  the  bulk  of  the  salt  is  just  covered  by  the  water.  Imme¬ 
diately  a  stream  of  denser  liquid  will  be  seen  falling  to  the  bot¬ 
tom  of  the  jar,  much  in  appearance  as  when  pouring  glycerine  in¬ 
to  water  ;  this  will  continue  until  the  whole  of  the  salts  are  dis¬ 
solved  and  a  clear  solution  is  obtained.  Remove  the  bag,  give 
the  bottle  a  shake,  and  the  solution  is  ready.  The  same  method 
is  to  be  employed  in  dissolving  the  iron  and  hyposulphite  of 
soda,  using  a  separate  bag  for  each  one,  and  completing  one 
before  commencing  the  another.  Having  everything  ready, 
carefully  weigh  out  by  avoirdupois  weight  the  chemicals,  and 
make  solutions  as  per  following  formula  i 


Carbutt’s  Improved  Developer  for  Transparencies, 


A.  — Oxalate  of  potash, 

Water,  ... 

Citric  acid,  - 

Citrate  of  ammonia  solution, 

B. — Sulphate  of  iron, 

Water,  ... 

Sulphuric  acid, 


8  ounces. 
30  ounces. 
60  grains. 

2  ounces. 
4  ounces. 
32  ounces. 
8  drops. 


C'rCTa!e  °fAmmonia  Solution.  Dissolve  1  ounce  citric  acid  in  5 
ounces  distilled  water,  add  liquor  ammonia  until  a  slip  of  litmus  paper 
just  loses  the  red  color,  then  add  water  to  make  the  whole  measure  8 

v  UllLcS* 


146 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Developer. — Add  1  ounce  of  B  to  2  ounces  of  A,  and  half  an  ounce  of 
water,  and  3  to  6  drops  bromide  solution. 

In  the  making  of  transparencies,  the  first  requisite  is  a  good 
negative,  and  every  effort  and  care  should  lie  taken  when  pro¬ 
ducing  it,  to  insure  perfect  freedom  from  imperfections.  The 
second  requisite  is  a  suitable  artificial  light  for  use  when 
making  exposures  by  contact.  The  third  requisite  is  suit¬ 
able  sized  developing  dishes ;  these  should  be  of  porcelain  or 
enamelled  iron  ware,  and  cannot  be  used  with  the  pyro 
developer  without  risk  of  staining  the  transparencies,  as  we  use 
for  them  the  ferrous-oxalate  developer  only.  Having  now 
provided  ourselves  with  the  necessary  requisites  for  the  work, 
we  will  proceed  with  the  making  of  transparencies,  beginning 
with  the  popular  lantern  slide.  We  now  place  our  nega¬ 
tive  glass  in  contact  with  the  glass  in  a  deep  printing 
frame;  a  suitable  size  is  6£x8£,  then  it  answers  for  5x8 
and  under.  Over  this  place  one  of  Carbutt’s  thin  crystal 
transparency  plates,  so  as  to  cover  the  portion  of  the  nega¬ 
tive  desired.  Lay  a  piece  of  dark  felt  or  other  soft  material 
over  it,  close  down  the  back,  and  expose  from  ten  to  fifteen 
seconds  to  the  light  of  a  two-inch  wick  oil  lamp.  Remove 
the  plate  from  the  frame  and  cover  with  the  developer.  If 
correctly  timed,  the  image  should  appear  slowly,  taking  two 
or  three  minutes  to  complete.  Allow  the  development  to 
continue  until  the  blacks  look  quite  strong,  and  detail  plainly 
shows  in  the  high-liglits  to  allow  for  reduction  of  intensity 
in  the  fixing  bath.  Wash  off  the  developer,  and  immerse  in  a 
fresh  solution  of  the  hyposulphite  of  soda  (pyro  developed 
negatives  should  not  be  fixed  in  same  solution)  made  by  dis¬ 
solving  ei«;ht  ounces  of  the  salt  in  forty  ounces  of  water,  in  the 
same  manner  as  directed  for  dissolving  the  iron  salt.  Let  the 
transparency  remain  in  the  fixing  bath  three  to  five  minutes. 
After  the  white  bromide  seems  cleared  from  the  plate,  wash  for 
half  an  hour  in  running  water,  then  immerse  for  five  minutes 
in  the 


Hardening  Solution. 


Water, 

Pulverized  alum, 
Citric  acid, 


36  ounces. 
3  ounces. 
I4  ounce. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS.  147 

Afterwards  wash  for  twenty  minutes  to  half  an  hour  then 
carefully  go  over  the  surface  with  a  tuft  of  absorbent  cotton 
while  water  is  running  over  it;  give  a  final  rinse,  and  place  in 

drying  rack  to  dry  spontaneously,  then  varnish  with  plain  col- 
lodion. 


Collodion  Varnish. 


Alcohol, 
Pyroxyline, 
Sulphuric  ether, 


4  ounces. 
30  to  40  grains. 
4  ounces. 


When,  after  shaking,  the  cotton  is  dissolved,  filter  and  flow 
tie  plain  collodion  over  the  dry  transparency,  the  same  as 
when  using  varnish ;  then  dry,  cover  with  mat  and  a  crystal 
cover-glass,  and  bind  with  binding  strip. 

Transparencies  for  window  and  door  decoration  should  be 
made  on  plates  somewhat  larger  than  the  negative,  so  that  a 
suitable  margin  may  surround  the  image.  ‘  To  do  this,  cut 
a  mask  with  rectangular  or  other  opening  out  of  thin  red 
enamelled  paper.  For  an  8x10  transparency  from  a  6£x8£  nega¬ 
tive,  take  a  piece  of  the  mask  paper  9x11  with  two  sides  cut  to 
right  angles ;  make  a  line  with  a  pencil  and  ruler  1  £  inches 
from  two  sides ;  from  the  side  line  measure  5£  inches,  and 
from  the  cross  line  measure  inches ;  cut  on  these  lines  with 
a  sharp  knife  through  the  paper  laid  on  glass  or  zinc  and 
remove  the  blank ;  make  a  X  mark  on  left  upper  corner,  to 
denote  register  corner ;  place  this  mask  in  a  10x12  deep  print¬ 
ing  frame,  let  it  register  close  to  the  left-hand  upper  corner  • 
lay  the  negative  film  side  up  and  under  the  mask ;  adjust  the 
negative  so  as  to  show  in  proper  position  through  the  opening  • 
over  this  place  a  Carbutt  A  transparency  plate  8x10,  lettinglt 
register  m  the  same  corner  as  the  mask;  layover  a  pad  of 
black  canton,  flannel,  close  the  printing  frame ;  expose  to  the 
amp  oi  gaslight  ten  to  fifteen  seconds  or  more,  according  to 
density  of  negative.  Develop  as  directed  for  lantern  slides, 
and  m  every  other  respect  proceed  the  same. 

The  tone,  both  of  lantern  and  large  transparencies,  can  be 
varied  from  a  warm  brown  to  a  velvety  black.  Increased  ex¬ 
posure  and  weaker  developer  (adding  water)  with  more  bromide 
gives  warm  brown  tones.  Short  exposure  and  stronger  (undi¬ 
luted)  developer  gives  dark  tones. 


148 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Coloring  Lantern  Slides. 

In  order  to  give  greater  value  and  completeness  to  this  chap¬ 
ter,  directions  for  coloring  lantern  slides  are  given  below.  The 
method  is  that  given  by  Mr.  A.  W.  Scott  in  the  “  British  Journal 
of  Photography,”  and  the  description  is  substantially  the  same 
as  given  in  Nos.  297  to  300  of  the  “  Photographic  Times  and 
American  Photographer,”  a  few  minor  changes  having  been 
made  in  the  phraseology  to  adapt  the  description  to  its  insertion 
here. 

Mr.  Scott  advises  learners  never  to  do  their  work  after  dusk, 
since  it  rarely  occurs  that  portraits  and  landscapes  which  are 
colored  by  the  yellow  light  of  an  oil  lamp,  or  gas  jet,  look  quite 
natural  when  viewed  by  the  whiter  light  of  day.  The  lime¬ 
light,  which  is  used  in  all  the  best  optical  lanterns,  produces  an 
illumination  very  similar  to  ordinary  daylight,  and  slides  wdiich 
have  been  colored  in  the  day  time  may  be  safely  relied  upon  to 
look  equally  well  upon  the  screen,  provided  that  the  proper  col¬ 
ors  and  varnishes  have  been  used.  Slides  painted  after  dusk 
usually  have  the  warm  colors  greatly  in  excess  ;  in  fact,  the  col¬ 
ors  when  seen  by  the  light  of  the  lamp  seem  totally  different 
when  compared  with  their  aspect  in  daylight. 

However,  there  are  subjects  to  which  the  slight  errors  in  tint 
produced  by  painting  in  artificial  light  will  not  prove  detri¬ 
mental.  These  are  chromotropes  and  color  patterns  generally , 
also  comic  slips  and  other  subjects  whose  exaggeration  of  color  and 
form  are  permissible.  If  hand  paintings  were  being  attempted, 
there  can  be  no  objection  to  preparing  outlines,  and  all  similar 
work  in  black  and  white,  including  blocking  out  views  of 
statuary,  etc.,  by  gas  or  lamp-light. 

The  ordinary  retouching  easel  will  answer  well  to  hold  the 
plate  to  be  colored  firmly  and  comfortably  for  the  artist ;  and 
the  light,  be  it  artificial  or  daylight,  may  be  regulated  as  the  re¬ 
toucher  regulates  his.  As  all  colors  have  to  be  viewed  by  trans¬ 
mitted  light,  before  applying  them  to  the  plate,  a  piece  of  white 
opal  glass  does  well  for  9  palette ;  wdiile  for  brushes,  the 
round-flat  sable  kind,  of  about  an  inch  in  length,  is  preferred. 
Most  suitable  are  those  known  as  water  color  sables ;  oil  color 
sables  being  too  stiff  for  transparency  work ;  and,  as  the  oil 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


149 


colors  used  are  made  more  fluid  than  is  usual  for  canvas  work, 
softer  brushes  are  preferable. 

^  The  colors  may  be  either  water  colors  or  oil  paints;  but  as 
the  P*ter  are  better  adapted  for  the  work  we  give  them  first 
consideration.  The  list  of  oil  colors  for  canvas  work,  sold  by 
artist  color  men,  is  a  long  one.  Most  of  these  colors,  however, 
are  useless  for  slides,  owing  to  their  opacity  ;  if  used,  they  will 
not  allow  light  to  pass  through  them,  and  hence  instead  of  color, 
black  darkness  would  be  the  effect  upon  the  screen. 

Oil  paints  specially  prepared  for  slides  are  sold  in  the  shops, 
but  do  not  in  reality  offer  any  difference  or  improvement  when 
compared  with  the  ordinary  colors,  which  are  sold  in  small  col¬ 
lapsible  tubes  for  the  use  of  the  artist. 


Blue  pigments 

Green  pigments 
Yellow  pigments  j 

Brown  pigments  * 

Red  pigments  -j 


Prusian  D 
French  ultramarine 
Indigo  D 
Antwerp  blue 

Verdigris 

Italian  pink  D 
Yellow  lake  D 
Gamboge 

Burnt  sienna  D 
Burnt  umber  D 
Caledonian  brown 
Asphaltum  D 

Crimson  lake  D 
Madder  lake 
Rose  maddder 


i  Ivory-black  D 
Lamp-black  D 
Blue-black  D 

D  signifies  that  these  colors,  being  of  good  body,  can  be 
dabbed  j  the  others  are  useful  for  brush  work  only. 

Prussian  blue  is  of  great  depth  of  color.  It  is  invaluable  for 
skies  and  flat  tints  generally. 

French  ultramarine  is  a  purer  blue  than  Prussian  blue,  which 
has  a  tendency  towards  a  greenish  tint.  A  good  effect  is  ob¬ 
tained  by  the  union  of  this  color  with  some  of  the  crimson. 
For  greens,  made  by  mixing  blue  and  yellow,  Prussian  blue  is 
best. 

Verdigris  is  a  very  useful  color  for  brush  work.  It  is  bright 
and  transparent,  and  when  a  little  Italian  pink  is  added,  forms 


150 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


a  brighter  green  for  tinting  foliage  than  the  one  obtained  by 
mixing  yellow  lake  with  Brusian  blue.  As  green  shrubbeiy 
and  foliage  usually  appear  very  dark  in  photographs,  it  is  neces¬ 
sary  in  such  cases  to  use  the  brightest  tints  available  in  ordei  to 
produce  any  effect  of  color  on  the  screen. 

Italian  pink  is  the  most  useful  yellow,  is  very  transparent, 
and  forms  a  good  green  with  Prusian  blue,  and  a  good  scarlet 
with  crimson  lake.  It  is  very  slow  in  drying,  and  should, 
therefore,  be  mixed  with  a  quick  drying  varnish. 

Yellow  lake  not  being  perfectly  transparent,  appears  darker 
on  the  screen  than  the  above,  producing  more  of  a  brownish 
effect ;  but  is  quicker  in  drying. 

Gamboge  is  perfectly  transparent,  but  so  thin  as  to  be  nearly 
useless  for  slides.  When  laid  on  thick  it  produces  an  orange 
tint,  and  is  useful  for  giving  the  effect  of  gold.  It  dries  but. 
slowly. 

Burnt  sienna  is  a  brown  pigment ;  it  is  of  good  body,  and 
dabs  easily.  With  Prussian  blue  it  forms  a  sober  olive-green 
and  supplies,  with  crimson,  a  good  color  for  tiles  or  brick  work. 
Not  being  perfectly  transparent,  it  appears  darker  on  the 
screen,  for  which  allowance  must  be  made. 

Burnt  umber  has  a  more  sober  hue ;  but  it  has  a  good  in¬ 
tensity,  dabs  well,  and  dries  quickly.  It  is  not  perfectly  tians- 
parent. 

Caledonian  brown  is  more  yellow  in  tone  than  the  two  pre¬ 
ceding,  dries  quickly,  but  being  of  less  intensity  is  used  only 
to  a  limited  extent. 

Crimson  lake  is  the  most  useful  red  tint.  It  possesses  but  mod¬ 
erate  intensity,  so  that  pale  tints  can  be  produced  by  dabbing. 
It  is  not  perfectly  transparent,  and  always  appears  darker  on 
the  screen  than  on  the  slide.  Frequently  a  very  transparent 
crimson  for  brush  work  may  be  obtained  by  diluting  the  pig¬ 
ment  with  turpentine,  so  as  to  be  of  a  creamy  consistency, 
and  then  allowing  it  to  stand  quietly  for  a  little  while.  Lsu- 
ally  a  part  of  the  color  settles  to  the  bottom  first,  and  when 
this  occurs  the  upper  part  should  be  carefully  poured  off.  The 
color  that  has  settled  will  be  found  to  be  nearly  opaque,  while 
the  other  portion  is  clear  and  transparent.  If  left  for  hours 
to  settle,  nearly  all  the  color  will  be  precipitated,  leaving  the 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


151 


turpentine  nearly  colorless ;  some  of  the  latter  can  be  re¬ 
moved,  a  little  mastic  varnish  may  be  added,  and  it  will  then 
be  ready  for  use.  If  a  little  Italian  pink  is  mixed  with  it,  a 
bright  scarlet  is  obtained. 

Madder  lake  and  rose  madder  being  nearly  identical  in  char¬ 
acter,  may  be  classed  together.  They  are  perfectly  transpar¬ 
ent,  and  appear  as  bright  pinks  and  crimsons  on  the  screen. 
Possessing  but  little  intensity,  they  are  useless  for  dabbing, 
and  require  piling  up  on  the  slide  to  approach  deep  tints. 
Gamboge  and  Italian  pink  are  sometimes  added  to  enrich 
their  color.  Being  very  slow  dryers,  they  should  always  be 
mixed  with  a  quick  drying  varnish. 

Ivory-black,  lamp-black  and  blue-black  have  characteristics 
in  common  ;  they  are  all  capable  of  being  dabbed,  and  dry 
quickly.  When  diluted  with  varnish,  they  form  good  grays, 
and  when  mixed  with  the  other  pigments  previously  men¬ 
tioned,  a  great  variety  of  sober  tints  can  be  obtained. 

The  brilliancy  of  the  colors  depends  largely  upon  the  me¬ 
diums  employed.  The  oils  (nut,  linseed  and  poppy)  should 
be  avoided,  as  they  tend  to  lower  the  transparency  of  the 
colors.  The  three  mediums  recommended  by  Mr.  Scott  are 
mastic  varnish,  japanner’s  gold  size,  and  the  well-known 
Robinson’s  medium,  sold  in  large  collapsible  tubes.  The  tur¬ 
pentine  used  to  thin  the  colors,  should  be  of  the  best  quality, 
but  for  the  cleansing  of  brushes,  etc.,  the  common  turpentine 
will  answer.  ISTo  oil  color  will  answer  without  the  addition  of 
one  or  other  of  the  three  mediums  mentioned ;  a  very  little  is, 
however,  sufficient  to  insure  transparency  in  the  colors.  For 
dabbing  purposes  it  is  not  necessary  to  render  the  paint  fluid 
with  turpentine,  but  for  brush  work  the  color  should  always 
be  thinned  to  a  creamy  consistency,  so  that  the  tint  may  be 
swum  on  to  the  glass.  This  fluidity  of  the  color  will  allow 
the  streaks  produced  by  the  hairs  of  the  brush  to  quickly  sub¬ 
side  to  a  level  surface,  so  as  to  give  an  even  layer  of  paint. 
Japanner’s  gold  size,  being  of  a  yellow  tint,  should  only  be 
used  for  warm  tints.  It  is  used  for  laying  the  larger  washes 
of  paint  in  brush  work,  and  for  mixing  with  pigments  which 
of  themselves  are  naturally  slow  in  drying.  Mastic  varnish 
and  gold  size  are  quick  in  drying,  and  hence  should  be  used 


152 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


for  the  first  washes  of  color,  which  have  to  be  worked  upon 
afterwards  with  extra  touches. 

When  Prussian  blue  is  used  to  produce  smooth  tints,  such 
as  skies,  etc.,  a  little  of  Robinson’s  medium  should  be  mixed 
with  it,  which  will  materially  assist  the  dabbing  process.  The 
same  addition  may  lie  made  to  burnt  sienna  and  burnt  umber 
for  flat  tints.  If  these  mixtures  are  thinned  with  turpentine 
to  a  creamy  consistence,  they  are  fit  for  brush  work,  which  can 
also  be  dabbed  when  required,  after  the  turpentine  has  evapo¬ 
rated  from  the  paint. 

When  crimson  lake,  yellow  lake,  or  Italian  pink  are  used  to 
produce  flat  tints  by  dabbing,  a  very  little  mastic  varnish 
should  be  added,  the  quick  drying  property  of  which  takes 
away  the  oiliness  of  the  color,  and  hence  renders  it  easier  to 
produce  an  even  tint. 

Dabbing. — The  greatest  difficulty  the  beginner  experiences 
is  the  laying  of  even  tints  of  color,  free  from  brush  marks, 
spots,  or  other  irregularities.  The  remarkable  magnifying 
power  possessed  by  the  optical  lantern  renders  it  necessary  for 
a  sky  tint,  for  instance,  to  be  as  smooth  on  the  slide  as  to  com¬ 
pare  with  stained  glass.  This  evenness  is  produced  by  a  special 
operation  known  as  dabbing,  of  which  frequent  mention  has 
been  made  in  the  preceding  paragraphs. 

The  dabbing  process  can  be  applied  only  to  colors  which 
possess  considerable  intensity,  so  that  an  extremely  thin  layer 
of  the  paint  will  suffice.  The  color  has  to  be  of  a  certain  con¬ 
sistency,  about  that  of  a  stiff  paste.  This  condition  may  be 
produced  by  adding  a  little  of  Robinson’s  medium  to  colors 
which  have  great  intensity  of  tint,  and  a  very  little  mastic  var¬ 
nish  to  the  weaker  colors,  which  have  more  oil  in  their  compo¬ 
sition.  The  pigment,  having  been  mixed  with  a  suitable 
medium,  a  little  of  it  is  put  on  the  slide,  and  is  then  spread 
about  and  rendered  even  by  the  action  of  the  dabber.  There 
are  several  kinds  of  dabbers;  one  method  requires  a  large, 
round  camel’s-hair  brush,  with  the  hair  cut  off  in  the  middle 
of  their  length,  so  that  they  terminate  in  a  flat  surface  instead 
of  a  point.  The  brush  is  then  used  to  stipple  the  paint  with, 
not  by  stroking,  but  with  an  up  and  down  action. 

Another  dabber,  and  a  better  one,  consists  of  a  short  stick, 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


153 


the  end  of  which  is  formed  into  a  miniature  cushion  by  a  thin, 
smooth  piece  of  leather,  or  part  of  an  old  kid  glove,  being  tied 
on,  with  a  little  cotton-wool  within.  A  very  small  dabber  of 
this  description  is  handy  to  use  for  working  the  tint  close  up 
to  an  outline.  But  the  cleanest  and  most  useful  dabber  is  one 
supplied  to  most  persons  by  nature,  one  that  is  not  likely  to 
wear  out  or  get  mislaid,  namely,  the  finger-end.  Nothing  can 
exceed  the  evenness  of  tint  which  a  practiced  hand  can  pro¬ 
duce  by  lightly  tapping  the  paint  on  the  glass  he  is  working 
on,  which  gradually  renders  the  color  even  and  smooth. 

The  finger  to  be  selected  is  that  which  has  the  smoothest 
skin ;  generally,  the  third  finger  of  the  right  hand  is  the  best. 
The  skin  has  always  a  kind  of  furrowed  surface,  and  some 
artists,  hence,  rub  the  end  of  the  finger  lightly  on  a  piece  of 
smooth  sand-paper,  by  which  some  of  the  roughness  is  removed. 
This  cure  of  the  furrows  is  very  temporary ;  nature,  in  a  day 
or  two,  indignant  at  this  treatment  of  the  cuticle,  will  retort 
by  growing  a  skin  thicker  and  rougher  than  at  first,  so  it  is 
better  for  beginners  to  use  their  dabbers  as  they  find  them. 

The  marks  caused  by  the  furrows  can  easily  be  obliterated 
by  going  over  the  paint  again  with  an  extremely  light  and 
gentle  tapping  action  of  the  finger,  the  position  of  the  hand 
being  altered  from  time  to  time,  so  that  one  set  of  furrow- 
marks  shall  cross  another.  In  this  process,  practice  is  the  best 
teacher. 

The  condition  of  the  surface  which  is  to  be  dabbed  upon 
should  be  observed  when  mixing  up  the  tint.  If  the  clear  un¬ 
varnished  glass  is  being  worked  upon,  the  paint  should  not  be 
very  stiff,  otherwise  it  will  be  apt  to  leave  bare  spaces  in  the 
tint,  caused  by  the  color  not  adhering  properly  to  the  glass. 
In  such  a  case,  a  little  of  Robinson’s  medium  should  be  added 
to  soften  the  color.  If  the  glass  is  varnished,  as  most  photog¬ 
raphic  slides  are,  the  paint  may  be  stiffer,  as  it  holds  better  to 
the  varnish,  and  it  is  then  usually  easier  to  make  the  tint 
smooth ;  hence,  it  is  best  to  varnish  all  glasses  before  the  dab¬ 
bing  process  is  commenced.  A  film  of  negative  varnish  is 
generally  easy  to  work  upon ;  however,  there  are  some  var¬ 
nishes,  containing  Canada  balsam  and  resin,  which  become 
soft  and  sticky  when  oil-colors  are  applied  on  the  film ;  such  a 


154 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


sample  should  be  rejected  for  this  purpose,  as  it  will  be  im¬ 
possible  to  produce  a  good,  even  tint,  by  dabbing. 

When  the  photograph  to  be  colored  is  made  by  the  gelatino- 
bromide  or  chloride  process,  it  is  not  necessary  to  varnish  when 
oil  colors  are  used.  The  gelatine  forms  an  excellent  surface 
to  work  upon  free  from  scratches.  If  there  are  any  abrasions 
of  the  film,  it  is  then  advisable  to  apply  a  coat  of  negative 
varnish,  which  will  fill  up  these  depressions  and  give  a  smooth, 
even  surface.  In  the  case  of  water  colors,  on  these  plates  it  is, 
of  course,  absolutely  necessary  to  varnish. 

Painting  Skies. — In  .tinting  a  landscape,  the  first  thing  to 
do,  according  to  Mr.  Scott,  is  to  tint  the  sky.  Prussian  blue  is 
always  used  for  the  blue  skies  ;  when  applied  to  the  glass  it  is 
rendered  smooth  and  even  by  dabbing.  Crimson  lake  and 
Italian  blue  are  used  for  sunsets,  the  different  colors  being 
gradually  merged  into  one  another  by  the  finger  alone.  Hav¬ 
ing  by  this  means  produced  a  uniform  or  graduated  tint  it  is 
usual  to  introduce  clouds.  The  white  cumulus  clouds  are  the 
easiest.  A  stick,  the  size  of  a  penholder,  is  cut  to  a  tapering 
wedge-shape  at  one  end  ;  over  this  wedge-point  is  stretched  a 
piece  of  soft,  clean  wash-leather,  about  four  or  six  inches 
square,  the  loose  ends  of  the  leather  being  gathered  together 
and  held  by  the  fingers.  With  this  single  stump  the  paint 
can  be  wiped  off  where  required,  leaving  a  sharp,  clean  edge 
for  the  upper  part  of  the  cloud  ;  the  lower  portion  of  the 
cumulus  is  softened  into  the  sky  tint  by  dabbing.  When  the 
stump  becomes  charged  with  paint  at  the  end,  the  leather  is 
moved  so  as  to  bring  a  clean  portion  of  it  to  the  wedge-point. 

The  fleecy  cirrus  clouds  may  be  made  by  the  stump,  with 
clean  leather  over  it,  being  used  as  a  dabber,  so  as  to  slightly 
disturb  and  remove  the  sky  tint  in  some  places.  Long,  thin 
streaks  of  white  cloud  are  produced  by  the  wedge-stump  with¬ 
out  any  leather  covering,  being  gently  tapped  over  the  sky 
tint,  so  as  to  displace  the  color  and  leave  irregular  white  lines, 
which  may  be  softened  slightly  by  dabbing  it  afterwards  with 
a  corner  of  the  leather.  In  making  the  sky,  it  is  usual  to 
carry  the  color  temporarily  over  objects  in  the  foreground — 
hence  the  wedge-stump  is  again  required  to  remove  the  sur¬ 
plus  paint  from  church  steeples,  roofs,  etc.,  and  the  horizon 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


155 


generally.  Clouds,  which  are  darker  than  the  sky  itself,  are 
usually  put  on  with  the  brush  after  the  dabbed  tint  has  be¬ 
come  dry  ;  this  is  a  difficult  operation,  as  it  is  very  easy  to 
min  a  sky  in  this  way,  so  beginners  are  recommended  to  at¬ 
tempt  only  the  lighter  clouds  in  their  first  essays. 

Moonlight  scenes  are  produced  in  a  similar  manner — the 
blue  tint  is  made  darker  by  the  addition  of  lamp-black  or  burnt 
umber  ;  a  trace  of  gold  size  should  be  mixed  with  the  colors 
to  assist  in  dabbing  deep  tints.  The  moon  is  made  by  scrap¬ 
ing  away  the  paint  with  a  wedge-pointed  stick  of  boxwood  ; 
sometimes  a  sharp  knife  is  used,  in  which  case  it  is  usual  to 
cut  through  both  the  paint  and  the  underlying  varnish. 

Water  Colors. — There  are  some  dissolving-view  artists  of 
good  repute  who  use  only  water  colors  in  their  pictures.  This 
method  is  more  difficult  for  a  beginner  to  learn,  especially  in 
the  case  of  the  sky  tints.  The  list  of  colors  available  is  nearly 
the  same  as  the  list  of  oil  paints  ;  thus  Prussian  blue,  indigo, 
gallstone,  gamboge,  brown  pink,  Italian  pink,  burnt  sienna, 
burnt  umber,  sepia,  bistre,  crimson  lake,  carmine,  and  lamp¬ 
black,  is  a  fair  list  of  the  most  transparent  water  colors,  which 
should  be  of  the  “  moist”  variety,  sold  in  small  porcelain  cups. 

The  mediums  used  to  mix  these  colors  with  are  pure  water, 
ox-gall,  and  occasionally  gum  arabic  and  glycerine.  The 
method  of  dabbing  water  colors  is  similar  to  that  of  oil  paints ; 
if  the  color  (which  is  sometimes  easier  to  work  with  by  the 
addition  of  a  trace  of  ox-gall  and  glycerine)  becomes  too  dry, 
it  may  be  softened  by  breathing  gently  on  it.  In  order  to 
allow  the  tints  to  take  nicely  to  the  glass,  it  is  usual  to  rub  the 
surface  over  with  a  little  ox-gall,  to  remove  all  greasiness. 

W ater  colors  are  not  so  safe  to  use  as  the  oils,  so  far  as  per¬ 
manence  is  concerned.  In  some  instances  the  colors  have 
been  found  to  have  run  together  when  slides  were  exposed  to 
the  great  heat  of  a  powerful  lantern,  after  having  been  stored 
in  a  damp  place ;  in  other  cases  the  heat  has  caused  the  color 
to  contract  and  shell  off  the  glass  in  places.  With  regard  to 
the  dust  which  after  a  time  is  often  found  to  have  settled  on 
the  colors,  it  is  usually  a  risky  matter  to  remove  it  with  a  linen 
cloth  in  the  case  of  a  slide  tinted  with  water  colors ;  an  opera¬ 
tion  of  this  kind  may  spoil  the  picture,  as  the  cloth  is  liable  to 


156 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


produce  streaks  and  lines  of  an  undesirable  character  in  the 
view. 

The  crimson  lake  and  carmine  water  colors,  as  they  are  sold, 
are  not  very  transparent ;  the  beginner,  therefore,  is  often  at 
a  loss  when  he  desires  a  brilliant  crimson  or  scarlet  color,  as 
the  addition  of  ox-gall  or  gum  arabic  does  not  increase  the 
transparency  much. 

The  moist  color  is  taken  from  the  porcelain  cup  and  mixed 
with  a  few  drops  of  glycerine;  a  little  ox-gall  is  also  added,  and 
the  whole  intimately  mingled  together  into  a  pasty  mass  with 
the  aid  of  heat  and  a  few  drops  of  water.  The  mixture  is 
then  put  into  the  metal  dish  or  saucer  and  gradually  heated. 
The  water  will  soon  be  expelled  by  the  heat,  and  when  steam 
ceases  to  rise  the  heat  should  be  increased,  care,  however,  being 
taken  not  to  burn  the  pigment.  The  color  of  the  pigment, 
viewed  by  reflected  light  as  it  lies  in  bulk  in  the  dish,  is  a 
brick  red  up  to  this  point ;  but  at  a  certain  heat  this  color  will 
suddenly  change  to  black.  This  blackness  is  due  to  the  crim¬ 
son  becoming  transparent,  on  the  same»principle  that  a  stained 
ruby  glass  looks  black  when  placed  on  a  dark  surface.  The 
color  may  then  be  allowed  to  cool,  and  will  be  found  quite 
bright  and  transparent.  The  color  may  be  thinned  with  water, 
and  if  it  shows  any  tendency  to  return  to  its  original  semi- 
opaque  condition  when  on  the  slide,  it  is  only  necessary  to 
make  the  glass  pretty  hot  after  the  painting  is  finished,  so  as 
to  restore  the  transparency  of  the  crimson,  which  may  be  ren 
dered  quite  permanent  by  a  little  touch  of  mastic  varnish,  to 
prevent  the  color  again  attracting  moisture.  The  ox-gall  is 
added  in  order  to  stiffen  the  pigment ;  if  it  were  not  used  the 
glycerine,  which  is  the  real  agent  in  rendering  the  carmine 
transparent,  would  keep  it  in  a  pasty  condition,  owing  to  its 
peculiar  non-evaporating  nature. 

The  addition  of  a  trace  of  glycerine  to  other  colors  will  tend 
to  prevent  cracking  and  shelling  off  of  the  pigment  when  on 
the  glass.  The  tints  may  be  made  of  a  better  consistency  for 
brush  work  by  being  mixed  with  ox-gall  and  a  solution  of  gum 
arabic.  The  ox-gall  sold  by  the  artists’  material  dealers  is 
rather  expensive  if  used  in  quantity;  it  is  supplied  in  little 
white  pots  in  a  stiff  pasty  condition,  but  is  easily  softened  by 


Photographic  printing  methods. 


157 


warmth.  A  cheaper  plan  is  to  get  some  liquid  ox-gall  from 
the  butchers’  and  boil  it  down  to  a  proper  consistency,  but  it  is 
not  a  very  pleasant  operation,  owing  to  its  messiness  and  odor¬ 
ousness. 

If  gum  arabic  is  used  to  mix  the  colors  with,  a  little  lump 
sugar  should  be  added  to  the  solution,  as  it  will  then  be  less 
liable  to  chip  off  the  glass  when  dry. 

Aniline  Colors. — The  thought  has  doubtless  occurred  to 
many  persons  who  have  observed  the  brilliant  tints  of  stuffs 
dyed  with  aniline  crystals,  whether  these  could  not  be  employed 
for  coloring  transparencies.  There  are  many  difficulties  in  the 
way,  but  it  is  quite  possible  to  use  these  colors  and  produce 
effective  and  artistic  slides  with  them. 

There  is  a  remarkable  property  which  is  possessed  by  some 
of  the  aniline  colors,  namely,  that  of  changing  tint  according 
to  the  acidity  or  alkalinity  of  the  mixture.  Thus  the  addition 
of  a  drop  of  ammonia  may  change  a  deep  scarlet  or  crimson  to 
a  pale  yellow,  or  vice  versa.  Supposing  a  picture  colored 
with  aniline  tints  was  exposed  successively  to  the  fumes  of 
ammonia  and  nitric  acid,  a  great  change  would  probably  be 
perceived  in  some  of  the  colors.  This  is  one  of  the  drawbacks 
of  the  process. 

The  brilliancy  of  aniline  colors  exceeds  that  of  most  oil  and 
water  colors.  The  former  can  be  made  perfectly  transparent, 
which  is  not  usually  the  case  with  the  two  latter ;  hence,  for 
chromatropes  and  other  subjects  where  brilliancy  of  tint  is  of 
importance,  they  are  well  adapted.  Flat  tints  produced  by 
dabbing  can  be  made  with  them  as  easily  as  with  oil  colors ; 
the  warmer  aniline  colors  especially  compare  favorably  for 
such  work  with  the  corresponding  tints  in  oils. 

Ordinary  water  colors  can  be  easily  used  in  conjunction 
with  the  aniline  tints — for  instance,  a  Prussian  blue  sky  tint 
may  be  merged  by  dabbing  into  an  aniline  orange  color  near 
the  horizon.  Oil  colors  can  also  be  used  after  the  aniline  tints 
are  laid  on.  This  method  is  likely  to  preserve  the  aniline 
colors  in  their  original  condition  by  protecting  them  from  the 
atmosphere  and  moisture.  A  sky  may  be  commenced  with 
aniline  colors,  and  when  dry  another  layer  of  colors  in  oil  may 
be  dabbed  on  without  much  fear  of  disturbing  the  underlying 


158 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


tints.  This  method  is  occasionally  useful  for  producing  cloud 
and  sunset  effects. 

Let  us  take  one  of  the  packets  of  aniline  dyes  labelled 
“blue”  ;  we  find  that  it  contains  a  powder  which  will  easily 
dissolve  in  cold  water,  and  possesses  considerable  intensity  of 
tint.  A  little  ox-gall  or  gnm  arabic  added  will  make  it  a  very 
useful  color  for  slide  work ;  it  is  used  just  as  Prussian  blue  is 
in  water  color.  It  has  complete  transparency,  and  the  tone 
inclines  slightly  to  purple. 

Another  packet  labelled  “  scarlet,”  contains  a  powder  also 
soluble  in  water.  It  is  an  expensive  dye,  and  the  penny 
packet  contains  a  very  small  quantity,  which  is,  however,  suffi¬ 
cient  for  several  slides.  It  may  be  treated  in  the  same  way  as 
the  aniline  blue.  This  color  being  one  of  those  liable  to 
change  according  to  its  acidity,  or  otherwise,  it  is  advisable  to 
varnish  the  tint,  after  drying  it  thoroughly  by  warmth,  with 
mastic  varnish,  to  secure  it  from  atmospheric  influences. 
Tliig  remark  applies  to  nearly  all  the  aniline  tints.  The  scar¬ 
let  is  a  very  bright  and  transparent  color,  and  can  be  dabbed 
for  sunset  effects,  etc. 

The  packet  labelled  “  yellow  ”  is  of  a  warm  yellow  tint,  and 
can  be  treated  as  the  above,  being  a  water  color.  These  ani¬ 
line  water  colors  are  preferable  to  the  spirit  colors  in  that  they 
are  less  liable  to  change.  The  above  will  not  lose  their  trans¬ 
parency,  but  may  possibly  change  color  if  unvarnished. 

Spirit  colors  embrace  most  of  the  other  dyes  not  previously 
mentioned,  and  are  more  difficult  to  manage.  They  quickly 
dissolve  in  methylated  spirits,  but  are  insoluble  in  cold  water. 
If  a  little  of  the  tincture  is  put  on  the  glass  it  is  remarkably 
transparent  and  vivid  in  tint  so  long  as  the  color  is  liquid,  but 
as  soon  as  the  spirit  evaporates,  which  it  does  of  course  very 
quickly,  the  tint  becomes  opaque  and  turns  to  a  kind  of 
bronze  powder ;  the  tincture  besides  spreads  in  all  directions, 
and  is  unmanageable  for  that  reason  alone,  even  if  it  retained 
its  transparency.  Hence  something  is  needed  to  give  consis¬ 
tency  to  the  solution  to  prevent  the  spreading  of  the  color. 
Gum  arabic,  being  insoluble  in  spirit,  cannot  be  used.  Canada 
balsam  is  also  non-effective,  as  the  color  becomes  opaque  on 
drying.  The  same  may  be  said  of  shellac,  sandarac,  and  other 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS.  159 

* 

resins,  which  require  heat  to  enable  them  to  dry  in  a  trans¬ 
parent  condition.  It  is  possible  to  get  transparent  tints  with 
collodion,  but  for  slide  work  it  is  unsuitable,  as  it  dries  on  the 
biusli  before  it  can  be  put  on  the  glass.  However,  for  certain 
work,  collodion  tinted  with  aniline  colors  may  be  applied  by 
pouring  it  on  the  glass,  so  as  to  cover  the  whole  surface,  and 
returning  the  excess  fluid  to  the  bottle  as  is  customary  with 
wet-plate  photography ;  it  is  useless  for  local  treatment  with 
the  brush  or  for  dabbing.  The  only  substance  that  Mr.  Scott 
was  able  to  use  with  success  was  ox-gall,  used  in  considerable 
quantity,  so  as  to  make  the  aniline  tincture  of  a  workable  con¬ 
sistency.  .  Ox-gall  is  freely  soluble  in  spirits  as  well  as  water, 
and  is  suitable  both  for  dabbing  and  brush  work.  Ox-gall 
only  overcomes  the  difficulty  of  the  spreading  of  the  tincture; 
it  does  not  prevent  the  color  becoming  opaque  on  dry  in  o-. 

As  the  tincture  is  transparent  only  so  long  as  there  is  any 
spirit  present,  it  would  seem  that  fluidity  is  a  necessary  con¬ 
dition  to  maintain  transparency.  The  addition  of  water,  how¬ 
ever,  to  the  tincture,  produced  a  precipitate,  and  the  color  be¬ 
comes  opaque.  Glycerine,  like  ox-gall,  dissolves  easily  in 
spirits  of  wine,  and  these  two  substances  used  together  proved 
capable  of  transforming  the  aniline  tincture  into  a  suitable 
color  for  tinting  slides,  which  could  be  thinned  with  spirit  and 
was  also  capable  of  being  dabbed.  There  are  a  number  of 
d}  es,  which  Mr.  Scott  calls  spirit  colors,  that  may  be  treated 
m  this  way,  which  are  of  great  brilliancy  and  intensity.  The 
spirit  colois  are  generally  warm  in  tint.  There  are  magenta, 
crimson,  orange,  and  yellow,  tor  instance,  in  spirit  colors ; 
cardinal,  rose,  and  purple  are  also  obtainable. 

If  faint  tints  are  desired  of  the  above,  more  ox-gall  is  added  ; 
glycerine  should  be  sparingly  employed,  as  if  too  much  is  used 
in  proportion  to  the  ox-gall,  the  color  remains  pastv,  and  re¬ 
fuses  to  harden. 

The  tints  of  aniline  dyes  are  too  bright  and  vivid  for  many 
subjects,  and  are  not  readily  mixed  together  to  produce  sec¬ 
ondary  colors.  Aniline  dyes,  therefore,  seem  more  useful  as 
an  occasional  accessory  than  as  a  complete  system  for  the 
painting  of  slides ;  but  they  are  useful  in  cases  where  local 
tints  ot  special  brilliance  are  required. 


160 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


♦ 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

OPAL  AND  PORCELAIN  PRINTING. 

Any  of  the  emulsions  given  in  Chapter  VII.  can  be  used 
for  coating  the  glass  and  the  directions  thus  given  for  expos¬ 
ure  and  development,  or  toning,  apply  to  the  opal  process. 
The  emulsion  given  below  is  a  very  good  one,  and  it  can  be 
prepared  in  a  weak  white  light.  For  coating,  however,  it  is 
better  to  work  by  yellow  light.  This  emulsion  is  for  printing- 
out,  not  development. 

Hard  gelatine,  -  120  grains. 

Chloride  of  ammonium,  ...  20  grains. 

Citrate  of  potash,  ....  40  grains. 

Water,  ......  5  ounces. 

Nitrate  of  silver,  ....  120  grains. 

Place  all  the  ingredients,  except  the  silver,  in  a  bottle  capa¬ 
ble  of  holding  ten  ounces.  Allow  them  to  soak  until  the  gela¬ 
tine  is  thoroughly  softened.  Then  shake  well,  and  add  the 
silver  in  crystals.  Shake  again  until  the  silver  is  dissolved. 
Place  in  a  water  bath  at  a  temperature  of  100  deg.  Fahr.,  and 
digest  for  an  hour  at  that  temperature.  Then  cool  down  to 
75  deg.  Fahr.,  and  add  twelve  ounces  of  alcohol.  The  emul¬ 
sion  will  be  precipitated  in  a  pasty  mass.  Let  it  stand  for  a 
couple  hours  in  the  dark.  Then  pour  olf  the  fluid  as  closely 
as  possible.  Add  three  ounces  more  of  alcohol  and  shake  well. 
The  alcohol  is  now  poured  off,  five  ounces  of  water  are  added, 
and,  after  half  an  hour’s  soaking,  the  emulsion  is  melted  and 
filtered  ;  after  which  the  plates,  previously  well  cleaned,  are 
coated.  Opal  glass  is  easily  and  cheaply  had  of  any  large 
dealer  in  glass. 

Before  coating,  the  plates  should  be  slightly  warmed.  For 
opals  coat  as  thinly  as  possible.  The  coated  plates  are  placed 
on  a  levelled  slab  to  set,  and  when  set  racked  away  to  dry  in  a 
well-ventilated  room  free  from  light  and  dust. 

Positives  are  printed  on  these  plates  exactly  as  they  are  on 
sensitized  paper,  but  they  print  more  rapidly. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


161 


In  order  to  be  able  to  judge  of  the  progress  of  the  printing 
one  edge  of  the  negative  and  the  plate  should  be  bound  with 
gummed  paper.  This  will  permit  the  plate  to  be  turned  back 
lor  inspection  and  insure  its  registering  accurately  when  again 
laid  down  on  the  negative. 

•  Prmtm£  must  ke  deep,  as  the  prints  lose  much  in  depth 
in  the  later  manipulations.  When  sufficiently  printed,  the 
plates  are  well  washed,  and  then  toned  in  any  good  bath. ?  The 
sulpho-cyanide  of  ammonium  bath,  given  on  page  45,  will 
be  found  to  give  good  results.  Fix  and  wash  as  usual.  ’  For 
opals,  by  development,  either  Wellington’s  or  Eder’s  methods 
given  in  Chapter  YU.,  can  be  confidently  recommended. 

.  Y  °?al  plates  are  Purchased  ready-made,  the  directions 
inclosed  with  each  box  should  be  implicitly  followed. 


Opals  by  the  Powder  Process. 
Coat  the  glass  with  the  following  solution : 


4  drams. 
4  drams. 
4  drams. 
2  drops. 
12  ounces. 


Dextrine, 

White  sugar,  ... 

Bichromate  of  potash,  ... 

Glycerine,  ..... 

Water,  - 

The  coated  plate  is  dried  with  gentle  heat  and  exposed  un¬ 
der  a  positive  reversed  as  regards  right  and  left.  A  few  mo¬ 
ments’  exposure  to  sunlight  will  suffice. 

The  plate  is  then  developed  by  dusting  over  it  with  a  fine 
camel  s-hair  brush  finely  powdered  ivory-black,  to  which  has 
been  added  a  little  Indian  red  if  a  warm  tone  is  desired.  The 
action  of  light  having  made  those  parts  of  the  plate,  acted 
upon  by  light  hygroscopic,  the  powder  will  adhere  to  them  in 
proportion  to  the  moisture  which  they  hold.  If  any  of  the 
details  are  slow  m  coming  up,  gently  breathe  upon  them  and 
repeat  the  dusting. 


When  the  details  are  all  out  the  plate  is  cleaned  of  all  super¬ 
fluous  powder,  and  the  image  fixed  by  pouring  over  it  a  satur¬ 
ated  solution  of  boracic  acid  and  alcohol.  The  plate  is  then 
dried  by  gentle  heat,  and  exposed  to  light  for  a  brief  period, 
again  dried,  and  placed  in  warm  water  to  dissolve  out  all  the* 
unchanged  bichromate. 

After  two  changes  of  water  a  few  drops  of  sulphuric  acid 


162 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


are  added  to  harden  the  film  ;  after  this  acid  treatment  the 
plate  is  washed  in  two  changes  of  water  and  allowed  to  dry. 

The  treatment  with  boracic  acid  may  be  omitted,  and  the 
bichromate  dissolved  out  in  warm  water  immediately  after 
development. 

If  ordinary  unreversed  positions  are  used  for  printing,  the 
image  must  be  printed  and  developed  on  a  glass  plate  previ¬ 
ously  coated  with  the  sensitive  bath.  After  development  and 
drying,  the  image  is  coated  with  plain  collodion  and  transferred 
to  the  opal  glass  as  described  in  the  Chapter  on  Carbon  Prints. 


Printing  on  Porcelain. 
Collodion. 


1. — Gun  Cotton  (negative), 
Alcohol, 

Ether,  - 


60  grains. 

2  ounces. 

3  ounces. 


Powder  finely  120  grains  of  silver  nitrate  and  add  it  to  3 
ounces  of  alcohol.  Place  the  bottle  in  a  water  bath  and  bring 
the  water  to  the  boiling  point ;  continue  the  boiling  until  the 
silver  is  entirely  dissolved  ;  when  solution  is  complete  pour  it 
hot  into  the  collodion  with  constant  stirring. 

2. — Chloride  of  Strontium,  ....  32  grains. 

Citric  Acid,  .....  24  ounces. 

Reduce' to  a  fine  powder  and  dissolve  in  four  ounces  of  alco¬ 
hol,  add  : 

Ether  ......  4  ounces. 

Gun  Cotton,  -  -  -  -  -  -  60  grains. 

These  two  collodions  will  keep  indefinitely,  and  are  to  be 
mixed  in  equal  quantities  when  wanted  for  use. 

Preparation  of  the  Plate. — Coat  the  porcelain  with  albu¬ 
men  from  fresh  eggs  and  water,  using  equal  quantities  of  each. 
Dry  without  heat,  then  warm  the  plate  and  when  cool  coat 
with  the  mixed  collodion.  Dry  over  a  spirit  lamp. 

The  Exposure. — Bind  one  edge  of  the  negative  to  the  cor¬ 
responding  edge  of  the  porcelain  plate  and  expose  in  a  printing 
frame;  or,  place  the  negative  in  the  proper  position  on  the 
porcelain,  protect  the  back  of  the  latter  with  yellow  paper,  and 
secure  contact  by  using  plenty  of  spring  clips. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


163 


Toning.— The  plates  are  first  washed  in  plain  water,  then  in 
water  containing  a  little  salt,  and  toned  in  the  following  bath  : 

Water,  . 

r*  ij,.,.  '  "  -  o  ounces. 

Gold  solution  (1  grain  to  1  ounce),  -  .  1  dram 

When  sufficiently  toned,  wash  and  fix  in  a  1  to  10  hyposul¬ 
phite  of  soda  solution.  The  prints  are  then  thoroughly  washed. 

Red  Prints. 

Red  prints  have  two  uses,  one  aesthetic,  the  other  practical. 
-Esthetic,  when  it  is  sought  by  means  of  them  to  reproduce 
the  tone  seen  in  some  old-time  engravings.  Practical  when 
they  are  used  as  a  base  for  the  relief  plates  or  zinc  etchings 
so  largely  employed  at  present  for  illustrating  newspapers’ 
trade  journals,  price  lists,  etc. 

Several  methods  are  in  use  to  obtain  the  tone  desired. 

The  simplest  and  most  common  is  to  fix  a  print  in  silver 
without  toning  it.  The  print  is  transferred  from  the  printing 
frame  to  a  dish  of  clean  water,  and  after  a  brief  soaking  it  is 
placed  in  a  dilute  solution  of  acetic  acid,  after  which  it  is 
treated  with  a  solution  of  carbonate  of  soda  to  remove  all 
traces  of  acid.  After  this  treatment  the  print  is  fixed  and 
washed  as  usual.  A  second  method  of  produing  red  prints  is 
by  the  carbon  process,  using  red  chalk  or  some  similar  pig¬ 
ment,  instead  of  lamp-black  or  carbon. 

,  A  metllod  ^  to  float  plain  paper  on  a  sixty  grain  solu¬ 
tion  of  nitrate  of  uranium.  After  ten  to  twenty  minutes’  ex¬ 
posure  under  the  negative  the  print  is  developed  by  floating  on 
a  forty-five  grain  solution  of  red  prussiate  of  potash.  The 
print  is  well  washed  and  finally  immersed  in  a  very  dilute 
solution  of  nitric  acid  to  clear  the  lights.  The  print  is  then 
xed  in  a  solution  of  alum.  When  wanted  for  the  draughts¬ 
man  red  prints  are  best  made  by  the  first  method.  The  out- 
lines  needed  tor  the  work  in  hand  are  sketched  in  India  ink 
^d  the  rest  of  the  photograph  bleached  out  in  a  strono-  solu¬ 
tion  of  bichloride  of  mercury  which  dissolves  the  silver,  but 
leaves  the  India  ink  unharmed. 

The  sketch  thus  made  is  used  for  the  production  in  the 
camera  of  a  negative  of  sufficient  intensity  to  produce  a  relief 
or  etched  plate.  If  the  original  print  was  an  enlargement  of 


164 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING-  METHODS. 


the  subject  to  be  reprodcced,  and  the  negative  was  reduced  to 
the  desired  size,  extreme  sharpness  and  delicacy  of  line  will  be 
obtained. 

Ordinary  Rives  paper  sized  with  gelatine,  is  salted  on  a  bath 
containing  twenty  grains  of  chloride  of  ammonium  or  barium, 
and  the  same  amount  of  citric  acid  to  the  ounce  of  water.  It 
is  then  dried  and  sensitized  as  usual. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


165 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

PHOTO-CERAMICS. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  and  permanent  applications  of 
photogi  apliy  is  that  of  photo-ceramics,  which  is  comparatively 
little  known  or  practiced  in  this  country. 

The  author  believes  that  careful  study  and  intelligent  fol¬ 
lowing  out  of  the  methods  now  to  he  described,  will  enable 
any  skillful  photographer  to  produce  enamels  of  a  high  grade 
of  excellence.  The  methods  given  are  those  now  in  use  by 
the  most  skillful  Continental  producers  of  ceramic  work,  and 
may  be  relied  on  as  trustworthy. 


N 


Fig.  2. 

The  Apparatus. 

.  The  Muffle  Furnace.— A  muffle  furnace  of  some  descrip¬ 
tion  is  necessary  for  firing  the  enamels.  They  can  be  had  in 

portable  form  of  any  large  dealer  in  such  materials,  burning 
either  coal  or  gas. 

V  hen  enamels  of  small  size  only  are  attempted,  the  form 
here  illustrated  and  described  will  do  good  work.  Its  con- 


166 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


struction  is  so  simple  that  any  good  metal  worker  can  con¬ 
struct  it. 

Fig.  1  is  the  front  elevation,  and  Fig.  2  the  side  elevation. 
The  muffle,  M,  is  made  of  moderately  thick  sheet  brass,  per¬ 
manently  closed  at  one  end,  with  a  hinged  or  sliding  door, 
provided  with  a  peep-hole  in  front.  The  muffle  slides  into 
the  furnace  on  two  iron  bars  let  into  the  walls.  One  of  these 
bars  is  seen  in  Fig.  2. 

The  furnace  walls,  A,  B,  C,  D,  Fig.  1,  are  of  thick  iron 
plate  and  doubled,  the  space  between  being  filled  with  ashes 
or  some  other  non-conductor  of  heat.  The  furnace  is  sup¬ 
ported  by  four  iron  legs  attached  to  the  outer  wall  by  screws, 
in  order  to  be  easily  removed  for  convenience  of  transporta¬ 
tion.  A  chimney,  E,  also  detachable,  fits  into  a  hole  in  the 
middle  of  the  furnace  top.  Heat  is  generated  by  a  Berzelius 
or  Liebig  spirit  lamp,  having  two  or  more  wicks,  which  stands 
on  an  iron  tripod. 

The  opening  in  the  walls  by  which  the  muffle  is  introduced 
into  the  furnace  must  be  of  such  a  size  and  shape  as  to  be 
completely  closed  when  the  muffle  is  in  place.  A  shelf,  N,  of 
thick  iron  plate,  is  fastened  by  brackets  just  underneath  this 
opening. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  any  specific  dimensions,  as  they  are 
determined  by  the  size  of  the  muffle,  which  must  be  large 
enough  to  hold  the  largest  piece  of  enamel  likely  to  be  fired. 

The  height  of  the  muffle  need  not  be  more  than  three 
inches,  nor  its  other  dimensions  more  than  seven  by  nine 
inches.  A  muffle  four  by  five,  by  two-and-one-half  inches,  is, 
perhaps,  as  large  as  can  be  advantageously  used  in  this  simple 
form  of  furnace.  The  furnace  proper  should  be  about  seven 
inches  high,  and  the  legs  about  the  same.  The  chimney  is  a 
piece  of  iron  pipe  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  about  fifteen 
inches  in  height.  The  hot-air  space  surrounding  the  muffle 
may  be  one  or  two  inches  larger  each  way.  The  lamp  must 
not  be  brought  too  near  the  bottom  of  the  muffle,  or  it  will  not 
burn  well. 

The  Drying  Box . — Much  of  the  success  of  the  various 
methods  given  for  enamels  depends  upon  the  way  in  which  the 
drying  is  done.  The  form  of  drying  box  here  illustrated, 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


167 

Fig.  3,  taken  from  “  Schwier’s  Manual  on  Plioto-Enamels,”  is 
recommended. 

The  box  is  made  of  strong  sheet  iron,  and  may  be  made  ten 
to  twelve  inches  square,  and  live  to  six  inches  high.  The  legs 
are  of  sufficient  height  to  allow  of  the  introduction  underneath 
of  the  source  of  heat.  These  legs  stand  upon  a  wooden  frame¬ 
work  provided  with  stout  thumb-screws,  to  secure  a  perfectly 
horizontal  position  of  the  slab  on  which  the  plates  are  dried. 
Upon  the  bottom  of  the  box  is  placed  a  slate  or  marble  slab, 
two  or  three  inches  thick,  smoothly  and  squarely  polished. 


The  hrp  of  the  box  is  provided  with  a  ventilating  shaft 
opening  into  the  interior.  In  the  door  are  openings  for  the 
ingress  of  air,  covered  with  a  roof  to  shut  out  light. 

If  desired,  a  thermometer  may  be  attached  in  such  a  way  as 
to  have  its  bulb  within  the  box. 

The  slab  is  warmed  to  100  deg.  Falir.  by  any  convenient 
means,  precautions  being  taken  to  insure  this  temperature 
being  maintained. 

The  Negatives. 

To  secure  the  best  results  in  the  various  ceramic  processes 
the  old  wet  collodion  process  should  be  employed  in  prefer- 


168 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


ence  to  the  gelatino-broinide  process.  Gelatino-bromide  plates 
may,  however,  be  used  if  one  is  content  with  results  a  trifle 
inferior  to  those  obtainable  on  wet  collodion  plates. 

The  two  formulas  given  below  for  the  preparation  of  the 
collodion  will  serve  for  all  the  processes  described  later. 


1. — For  the  Reproduction  of  Line  Drawings. 


Alcohol, 

Ether, 

Azotic  cotton, 

Iodide  of  cadmium, 
Iodide  of  ammonium, 
Iodine, 


12|  ounces. 
19$  ounces. 
185  grains. 
62  grains. 
77 i  grains. 
7.7  grains. 


2. — For  the  Reproduction  of  Drawings,  Engravings, 
Aquarells,  etc.,  in  Half-Tones. 


Alcohol, 

Ether, 

Azotic  cotton, 

Iodide  of  cadmium, 
Iodide  of  ammonium, 
Bromide  of  cadmium, 
Iodine, 


12;  ounces, 
19$  ounces 
185  grains. 
62  grains. 
62  grains. 
13  grains. 
3.8  grains. 


Sensitizing  Bath  for  Hos. 

Distilled  water,  ... 

Nitrate  of  silver,  .... 
Acetic  acid,  - 


1  AND  2. 

34  ounces. 
1,234$  grains. 
13$  drams. 


Developer. 


Water,  - 

Sulphate  of  iron,  - 
Acetic  acid,  - 
Alcohol,  - 

Intensifier. 


34  ounces. 
776$  grains. 
13$  drams. 
13$  drams. 


A.  To  be  used  after  development  and 

1.  — Water,  .... 

Pyrogallic  acid,  - 

Citric  acid,  .... 

2.  — Distilled  water,  - 

Nitrate  of  silver,  ... 
Acetic  acid.  - 


before  fixing. 

© 

16  ounces 
77  grains. 
154  grains. 
16  ounces, 
77  grains. 
2i  drams. 


To  use,  mix  equal  jiarts  of  Xos.  1  and  2,  and  immerse  the 
negative  until  proper  density  in  gained.  Wash  well  before 
fixing. 


169 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


The  ordinary  bichloride  of  mercury  intensifier  with  am¬ 
monia  or  sulphite  of  soda  can  also  be  used. 

Fixing.  Either  a  saturated  solution  of  hyposulphite  of 
soda,  or  a  one  to  fifty  solution  of  cyanide  of  potassium. 

The  glass  used  must  be  plate  or  patent  plate.  The  follow¬ 
ing  method  of  cleaning  the  glasses  previous  to  coatino-  is  rec¬ 
ommended. 

Soak  the  glasses  for  an  hour  or  two  in  a  solution  of  bichro¬ 
mate  of  potassium  to  which  has  been  added  about  one-third  of 
its  bulk  of  ordinary  nitric  acid.  The  glasses  are  then  washed 
wiped  off  with  a  piece  of  fine  linen,  and  immersed  for  a  few 
moments  in  a  bath  of  iodized  alcohol,  and  finally  wiped  per¬ 
fectly  dry  with  a  clean  piece  of  chamois  skin. 

The  operations  of  coating  and  sensitizing  are  the  same  as 
customarily  employed  in  the  wet  collodion  process. 

Stripping  Films. — The  negative  or  positive  when  perfectly 
dry  is  covered  with  a  thin  film  of  the  following  solution  : 


Pure  gutta-percha,  ... 

Chloroform,  .... 

The  image  is  covered  with  this  solution 
rubber  film  is  allowed  to  dry.  When  dry 
given  to  the  negative  of  the  following  : 


1  part. 

-  30  parts. 

by  flowing,  and  the 
a  second  coating  is 


Ether, 
Alcohol,  - 
Azotic  cotton, 
Castor  oil, 


18^  ounces. 
12|  ounces. 
154  grains. 
15  drops. 


After  the  application  of  this  solution  the  negative  is  allowed 
to  dry  in  the  open  air.  When  dry  the  film  is  to  be  cut 
through  to  the  glass  with  the  point  of  a  sharp  penknife,  at  a 
slight  distance  from  the  edges  of  the  negative,  or  from  that 
portion  of  it  containing  the  picture  to  be  used. 

The  plate  is  then  soaked  in  water  with  a  piece  of  Japanese 
paper,  which,  after  soaking  until  limp,  is  brought  in  contact 
with  the  prepared  surface.  After  a  brief  interval  one  corner 
of  both  paper  and  film  is  separated  from  the  glass  with  the 
point  of  a  penknife,  the  paper  and  film  are  then  taken  be¬ 
tween  the  thumb  and  index  finger,  and  the  film  pulled  from 
the  glass  with  its  paper  support.  It  is  then  dried  between  • 
blotters,  and  when  dry  is  ready  for  use.  The  use  of  East- 


170 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


man’s  American  films  will  greatly  simplify  this  operation  for 
those  who  are  content  to  employ  gelatine  in  place  of  collodion. 
They  should,  however,  be  developed  with  the  ferrous  oxalate 
developer. 

Positives. — For  positives,  by  contact,  any  of  the  dry  plate 
methods  given  in  Chapter  VII.  may  be  employed,  preference 
being  given  to  the  albumen  method  or  Levy's  collodion  pro¬ 
cess. 

M.  Roux,  in  his  work  on  Decorative  Photography  (“  Traite 
Pratique  de  Photographie  Decorative,”  etc.),  recommends  the 
following  tannin  process  : 

“Well  cleaned  and  polished  patent  plate  glass  is  coated  with 
the  collodion  given  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  sensitized 
as  usual  in  the  bath  there  given,  and  after  immersion  in  dis¬ 
tilled  water  until  all  traces  of  greasiness  have  disappeared,  the 
plate  is  washed  under  the  tap  for  five  or  six  minutes,  and 
finally  immersed  for  three  minutes  in  the  following  bath  : 

Water,  .....  34  ounces. 

Tannin,  ......  463  grains. 

Acetic  acid,  .....  13  drams. 

“  The  plate  is  then  dried  in  the  drying-box. 

“  These  plates,  kept  in  a  dry  place,  will  retain  their  good 
qualities  for  a  fortnight,  and  will  be  found  to  yield  very  fine 
results.” 

The  time  of  exposure  to  diffused  light  is  about  five  seconds 
for  negatives  of  medium  density.  Before  development  the 
plates  are  well  washed  in  running  water  and  developed  by 
flowing:  one  of  the  following:  solutions  over  the  collodionized 
surface : 

Developer  for  Positives  from  Negatives  of  Line  Draw¬ 


ings, 


Equal  parts  of  the  following  : 


2. — Distilled  water, 
Nitrate  of  silver,  - 
Acetic  acid, 


1. — Water, 

Pyrogallic  acid, 
Citric  acid, 


10  ounces. 
77  grains. 
154  grains. 
16  ounces. 
77  grains. 
2}£  drams. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


171 


Developer  for  Positives 
b — Distilled  water, 

Bromide  of  potassium, 

2.  — Distilled  water, 

Pyrogallic  acid, 

3.  — Distilled  water, 

Strong  ammonia, 


CONTAINING  IIaLF  TONES. 

32  ounces. 

-  617  grains. 

32  ounces. 

-  154  grains. 

6^  ounces. 

5  drams. 


For  the  developer  mix  the  above  solutions  in  the  following- 
proportions  :  & 


No.  l,  - 
No.  2, 

No.  3,  - 

Fixation  must  be  thoroughly  done 
hyposulphite  of  soda. 


2^  drams. 

TA/±  drams. 

46  drops. 

in  a  saturated  solution  of 


If  the  positives  are  to  be  used  only  on  flat  surfaces,  it  is 
only  necessary  to  varnish  them  with  any  good  negative  varnish 
If,  however,  they  are  intended  to  be  used  for  printing  on 
curved  surfaces,  they  must  be  stript  from  the  glass  as  de- 
sci  ibed  above  for  stripping  negatives. 


The  Firing  or  Burning- in. 

This  operation  is  performed  as  with  enamels  painted  by 
hand.  The  enamel  plate  is  placed  on  a  piece  of  fire-clay  and 
gradually  introduced  to  the  full  heat  of  the  furnace,  avoiding 
overheating,  the  muffle  door  being  left  open  until  the  plate  is 
well  heated.  The  door  is  then  closed  and  the  plate  allowed  to 
remain  m  the  muffle  until  the  enamel  glaze  just  melts.  The 
plate  should  be  turned  occasionally,  to  insure  equal  firing, 
using  for  this  purpose  a  wire  set  in  a  wooden  handle  with  an 
inch  or  so  of  the  other  end  bent  to  a  right  angle. 

The  burning  is  a  most  delicate  operation,  and  requires  skill 
and  attention  to  secure  the  best  results  ;  given  these,  however, 
with  a  little  experience,  enamels  can  be  fired  with  almost  abso¬ 
lute  certainty. 

Foi  further  details  for  firing,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the 
section  describing  Mr.  Watson’s  substitution  method,  at  the 
end  of  this  chapter. 

Even  with  the  utmost  care,  the  pictures,  after  firing,  will 
sometimes  have  a  dull  or  mat  surface.  They  must,  in  this 
case,  receive  a  coating  of  flux,  and  be  fired  again. 


172 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


The  following  fluxes  are  recommended  by  the  best  author¬ 
ities. 

1. — For  Colors  Containing  Iron. 


Crystallized  borax,  red  lead,  pounded  glass,  equal  parts  of 
each. 

Mix  and  fuse  for  one  hour  in  a  crucible.  Pour  out  into 
water,  then  dry  and  powder  tine  upon  a  marble  slab,  with  a 
glass  mu  Her. 


2. — For  Colors  Containing  Gold. 

Silica  (powdered),  ....  1  part. 

Glass  of  borax,  -  -  -  -  part. 

Red  lead,  %  part. 


3. — For  Colors  Containing  Silver. 

Sand,  ......  l  part. 

Litharge,  -  -  -  -  .  -2  parts. 

Glass  of  borax,  .....  1  part. 

4. — For  General  Use. 

Red  lead,  ------  4  parts. 

Silica  (powdered),  -  -  -  -  -  1  part. 

Powdered  silica  is  obtained  by  calcining  the  purest  flints 
three  or  four  times  in  a  crucible,  w ashing  each  time ;  it  is 
then  powdered  in  a  porcelain  mortar  and  sifted  through  a 
lawn  sieve. 

Retouching. 

Retouching  is  often  necessary  to  fill  up  white  spots,  to  clear 
up  portions  which  are  veiled  or  too  dense,  or  to  apply  a  differ¬ 
ent  tint  to  various  parts  of  the  picture.  This  retouching  is 
always  to  be  done  after  the  first  firing,  the  enamel  being  again 
fired  after  retouching. 

Bare  spots  are  filled  in  with  a  fine  brush  dipped  in  a  solution 
formed  by  dissolving  a  small  portion  of  the  enamel  powder, 
used  to  form  the  image,  in  a  little  spirits  of  lavender.  The 
high  lights  are  cleared  up,  if  necessary,  with  a  brush  dipped  in 
a  1  to  10  solution  of  fluorliydric  acid  and  water. 

Touching  up  isolated  spots  in  different  tints  is  effected  with 
enamel  powders  of  the  proper  tints  dissolved  in  essence  of 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


173 


lavender,  enamelled  by  subjecting  them  to  the  action  of  the 
heat. 

As  a  rule,  the  colors  are  easily  procured  of  the  trade,  those 
made  by  La  Croix,  of  Paris,  being  thoroughly  reliable.  It  is 
as  well  to  sift  the  dry  colors  through  a  line  lawn  sieve  to  re¬ 
move  all  coarse  particles. 

Most  operators  will  prefer  to  purchase  the  enamel  mixtures 
ready  made,  but  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  wish  to  pre¬ 
pare  them  for  themselves,  a  few  formulas  are  given  below. 
All  the  ingredients  given  in  these  formulas  must  be  very  pure, 
ground  or  pulverized  very  finely,  and  perfectly  mixed  together. 

Stock  Mixtures. 

These  serve  as  a  base  in  some  of  the  formulas  given,  and 
may  be  made  up  in  quantities  to  suit  the  needs  of  the  artist. 


Stock  No.  1. 

Red  lead,  ------  3  parts. 

White  sand,  -  1  part. 

Stock  No.  2. 

Stock  No.  1,  -  -  -  .  -  8  parts. 

Calcined  borax,  -  1  part. 

Stock  No.  3. 

Calcined  borax,  -----  5  parts. 

Silica,  ------  3  parts. 

Red  lead,  ------  1  part. 

Gray. 

Manganese,  -----  2  parts. 

Stock  No.  1,  -----  3  parts. 

Borax,  ------  1  part. 

Oxide  of  cobalt,  -----  ^  part. 

Indigo  Blue. 

Oxide  of  cobalt,  -  1  part. 

Stock  No.  3,  -----  2  parts. 

Turquoise  Blue. 

Oxide  of  cobalt,  -  1  part. 

Oxide  of  zinc,  -  -  -  4  parts. 

Stock  No.  2,  -  -  -  -  -  6  parts. 

Azure  Blue. 

Oxide  of  cobalt,  -----  1  part. 

Oxide  of  zinc,  -----  2  parts. 

Stock  No,  2,  -  -  -  .  -  5  parts. 


m 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Emerald  Green. 

Oxide  of  copper,  ....  l  part. 

Antimoniac  acid,  -  -  -  -  -  10  parts. 

Stock  No.  1,  -  -  .  .  30  parts. 

Blue  Green. 

s 

Oxide  of  chromium,  1  part. 

Oxide  of  cobalt,  -  2  parts. 

Stock  No.  3,  9  parts. 

Jonquil  Yellow  for  Flowers. 

Litharge, . 18  parts. 

Silica,  -  .  -  -  -  4  parts. 

Oxide  of  antimony,  -  -  -  -  '  2  parts. 

Sienna  clay,  .....  2  parts. 

Sub-sulphate  of  iron,  ....  ^  part. 

Bed. 

Red  oxide  of  iron,  -  ....  1  part. 

Stock  No.  2,  .  .  .  .  3  parts. 

Carmine. 

Cassius’s  purple,  .....  2  parts. 

Chloride  of  silver,  ....  10  parts. 

Stock  No.  3,  .....  10  parts. 

Purple. 

Cassius’s  purple,  ....  2  parts. 

Stock  No.  3,  -----  10  parts. 

Violet. 

Peroxide  of  iron  (calcined),  -  1  part. 

Stock  No.  3,  -  -  .  .  .  2  parts. 

Blade  Pigment. 

Oxide  of  copper,  .....  2  parts. 

Oxide  of  cobalt,  1^  parts. 

Oxide  of  manganese,  ....  2  parts. 

Flint  glass,  .....  12  parts. 

Melt  in  a  crucible  and  add  of — 


Oxide  of  copper,  -  -  -  .  -  parts. 

Oxide  of  manganese,  ....  2  parts. 


The  melted  mixture  is  poured  into  water 
pulverized. 


White  Pigment. 


and  then  finely 


(The  white  enamel  glaze  of  commerce.) 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


175 


Gold  or  Cassius’s  Purple. 

(Precipitate  a  solution  of  chloride  of  gold  with  salt  of  tin, 
and  wash  the  precipitate.) 


Practical  Manipulations. 

h  our  methods  are  in  common  use  for  producing  photo¬ 
enamels,  viz. :  the  Dusting-on  Process;  the  Pigment  Process; 
the  Collotype  Process ;  and  the  Substitution  Process. 

As  the  limits  of  this  book  will  not  admit  of  a  detailed  de¬ 
scription  of  all  these  methods,  I  have  selected  the  Pigment 
and  the  Substitution  Methods  for  detailed  treatment,  adding  a 
brief  resume  of  the  Dusting-on  Method,  taken  from  the 
(British)  “Photo.  Mews  Almanac”  for  1887. 


Pavlowsky’s  Method  with  Pigment  Paper. 


The  following  solution  is  made  up  : 

Best  gum  arabic, 

Water,  - 


385  grains. 
26  drams. 


When  the  gum  is  dissolved  the  solution  is  filtered  through 
flannel,  and  the  following  mixture  added  : 


Enamel  mixture,  ....  248-308  grains. 

Honey,  .....  10  grains 

The  mixed  solution  is  poured  out  upon  a  marble  or  glass  slab 
and  thoroughly  incorporated  together. 

An  addition  of  a  solution  of  6  grains  bichromate  of  potash 
in  a  small  quantity  of  hot  water  is  then  made,  and  the  resulting 
mixture  filtered  through  flannel.  This  solution  must  be  kept 
in  darkness  for  one  week  before  using. 

A  well-cleaned  piece  of  plate  glass  is  coated  with  the  solu¬ 
tion  and  dried  in  the  drying  box  at  a  temperature  of  about 
110  deg.  Falir. 

The  exposure  to  light  is  made  as  usual,  the  time  required 
being  about  one-fourth  of  that  required  for  silver  paper.  The 
exposed  plate  is  then  coated  with  plain  collodion,  and,  as  soon 
as  the  film  is  set,  washed  in  cold  water ;  a  sheet  of  unsized  pa¬ 
per  is  then  laid  down  upon  the  film,  perfect  contact  secured 
with  the  squeegee,  when  the  paper  bearing  the  collodionized 


176 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


tissue  is  easily  stripped  from  the  glass  by  first  raising  one  cor¬ 
ner. 

The  development  is  the  same  as  described  in  Chapter  for  Car¬ 
bon  Tissue. 

The  developed  tissue  is  first  washed  in  diluted  alcohol,  and 
finally  in  absolute  alcohol,  and  the  picture  transferred  in  the 
usual  way  to  the  object  to  be  enamelled.  When  dry  it  is 
ready  for  firing. 

This  method  is  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  enamels  on 
curved  and  irregular  substances. 

Husnik’s  Method. 


Husnik  coats  paper  with  the  following  mixture : 


Gum  arabic, 

Water,  ... 

3  parts. 
30  parts. 

Filter  well  and  add  : 

White  sugar, 

Bichromate  of  potash. 
Glycerine, 

1  part. 

2  parts. 

5  drops. 

Black  enamel  is  thoroughly  incorporated  with  this  solution 
in  sufficient  quantity  to  give  a  non-transparent  film. 

The  remaining  operations  are  the  same  as  in  Pavlowsky’s 
method. 

Liesegang’s  Dusting-on  Method. 

The  six  stages  are  as  follows  :  1.  A  glass  plate  is  coated 

with  the  sensitive  mixture  of  organic  matter  and  bichromate. 
2.  The  plate  is,  after  drying,  exposed  under  a  positive.  3. 
After  the  shaded  parts  of  the  plate  have  absorbed  sufficient 
moisture,  it  is  dusted  with  a  verifiable  pigment  in  fine  pow¬ 
der.  The  united  action  of  the  bichromate  and  light  so  modify 
the  deliquescent  organic  matter  that  it  loses  its  property  of  ab¬ 
sorbing  moisture  from  the  air,  and  the  exposed  parts  of  the 
plate  consequently  refuse  to  hold  the  verifiable  pigment.  4. 
The  powder  picture  is  coated  with  collodion,  and  then  soaked 
in  a  slightly  alkaline  solution,  in  order  to  remove  all  traces  of 
soluble  materials.  5.  The  collodion  film  bearing  the  image  is 
next  floated  off  and  laid  on  a  tile  or  other  suitable  surface.  6. 
The  image  is  vitrified  or  burned  in. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


177 


The  composition  of  the  sensitive  mixture  may  be  varied 
considerably  without  any  very  material  influence  on  the  re¬ 
sult,  but  the  following  composition  gives  very  excellent  results 
in  brdinary  cases  : 


Water,  - 
Moist  sugar, 

Gum-arabic, 

Bichromate  of  ammonium, 


100  parts. 
10  parts. 
10  parts. 
4  parts. 


This  solution  should  be  used  within  one  or  two  days  of  its 
preparation,  and  ought  to  be  filtered  with  the  most  scrupulous 
care,  as  any  particle  of  dust  or  fibre  is  likely  to  cause  a  white 
spot  on  the  finished  work.  The  solution  is  poured  on  the 
glass  plate  after  the  manner  of  collodion,  and  after  the  plate 
has  been  held  in  a  tolerably  horizontal  position  for  a  few 
seconds,  the  excess  of  solution  is  quickly  poured  off,  and  the 
plate  is  set  to  dry  on  a  kind  of  desk  formed  of  a  piece  of  sheet 
iron  mounted  at  an  angle  of  about  15  deg.  with  the  horizon, 
and  kept  warm  by  a  spirit  lamp  placed  underneath  ;  but  it  is 
advisable  to  distribute  the  heat  by  means  of  a  few  layers  of 
blotting  paper  placed  under  the  glass,  and  the  heat  should  not 
rise  above  a  temperature  which  the  hand  can  easily  bear.  It 
is  best  to  use  patent  plate  glass,  and  the  greatest  care  must  be 
exercised  in  cleaning  it  thoroughly.  It  is  necessary  that  the 
positive  under  which  the  exposure  is  made  should  be  quite 
dry,  or  even  slightly  warm,  and  in  ordinary  cases  an  exposure 
of  one  minute  in  sunshine,  or  ten  minutes  in  diffused  daylight, 
will  suffice  5  but  an  actinometer  should  be  used  as  in  carbon 
printing.  As  soon  as  the  exposure  is  finished,  the  plate  is 
taken  into  the  dark-room,  placed  on  a  white  surface,  and  some 
of  the  enamel  color  is  sprinkled  on  and  worked  round  and 
about  with  a  long-haired  camel’s-hair  pencil,  both  the  powder 
and  the  brush  being  perfectly  dry.  The  image  now  gradually 
develops,  and  it  is  often  necessary  to  shake  the  powder  from 
off  the  plate  and  allow  the  moisture  of  the  air  to  act  on  the 
film  for  a  short  period,  after  which  the  treatment  with  the 
enamel  pigment  is  resumed.  Should  the  picture  appear  hard, 
only  the  extreme  dark  shades  appearing,  the  exposure  has 
been  too  long ;  but  if  the  image  is  fiat,  and  all  the  high-lights 
are  veiled,  under-exposure  is  indicated.  Just  as  in  ordinary 


178 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


silver  printing,  the  image  should  appear  a  few  shades  over 
dark  at  this  stage,  as  the  enamel  colors  lose  a  little  intensity 
when  fired  ;  but  if  there  should  be  any  difficulty  experienced 
in  attaining  the  required  vigor,  it  is  advisable  to  very  gently 
breathe  on  the  plate — previously  freed  from  all  loosely-adher¬ 
ing  powder — and  then  to  proceed  with  the  development. 
When  the  development  is  finished,  all  non-adherent  powder 
should  be  removed  by  means  of  the  brush,  and  any  required 
retouching  can  be  performed  either  by  breathing  on  the  plate 
and  cautiously  applying  the  pigment  on  the  part  requiring  it, 
or  by  removing  the  pigment  by  friction  with  a  tuft  of  cotton 
wool  or  a  stump.  The  plate  is  next  coated  with  a  collodion 
containing  from  If  to  2  per  cent,  of  pvroxyline,  and  about  f 
per  cent,  of  castor  oil ;  and  after  the  film  has  set  it  is  cleared 
away  from  the  edges  of  the  plate,  so  as  to  leave  a  clear  border 
of  about  f  of  an  inch.  The  collodionized  plate  is  next  soaked 
in  a  2  per  cent,  solution  of  caustic  potash,  until  all  traces  of 
soluble  chromium  salts  are  removed  from  the  film,  and  after  a 
thorough  rinsing  in  clean  water,  the  plate  is  immersed  in  water 
containing  enough  nitric  acid  to  make  it  taste  about  as  sour  as 
weak  vinegar,  where  it  should  remain  some  hours.  By  now 
placing  the  glass  bearing  the  film  in  a  large  vessel  containing 
clean  water,  and  gently  manipulating  the  pellicle  with  the  fin¬ 
gers,  it  becomes  easy  to  detach  the  collodion  film,  which  is 
then  caught,  collodion  side  downwards,  on  the  enamel  tablet 
or  tile.  Should  it  be  necessary  to  vitrify  the  picture  with  the 
collodion  side  upwards,  the  final  transfer  must  be  made  in  a 
solution  of  sugar  containing  one-fifth  of  its  weight  of  this  ma¬ 
terial,  as  otherwise  the  collodion  film  would  be  liable  to  scale 
off.  In  this  latter  case,  the  collodion  must  be  dissolved  away 
before  firing ;  but  when  the  collodion  film  is  mounted  down¬ 
wards  on  the  enamel  plate  or  tile,  this  proceeding  is  not  necessary. 
The  most  convenient  method  of  dissolving  away  the  collodion 
film  is  by  soaking  the  dried  plate  for  a  whole  day  in  the  fol¬ 
lowing  mixture : 


Alcohol, 

Ether, 

Oil  of  lavender. 
Oil  of  turpentine, 


50  volumes. 
50  volumes. 
100  volumes. 
3  volumes. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


179 


The  plate  having  been  again  retouched,  if  necessary,  all  is 
leady  for  the  final  operation,  or  the  burning-in  of  the  image. 

Watson’s  Substitution  Method. 

o  better  form  of  the  substitution  process  exists  than  that 
of  Mr.  Watson,  of  Hull,  which  with  some  modifications  made 

b\  Mi.  H.  Iv.  Cherrill,  was  published  by  the  latter  gentle¬ 
man. 

_  The  following  is  Mr.  Cherrill’s  description  of  the  process 
given  in  the  “  Photographic  Hews  Almanac  ”  for  1886  : 

A  piece  of  glass  is  cleaned  with  nitric  acid,  well  washed, 
dried,  polished,  and  coated  three  times  with  collodion. 

This  stage  reached,  plunge  the  plate  in  the  bath  without 
letting  the  collodion  get  too  much  set ;  if  the  setting  be  pro¬ 
longed,  the  result  is  not  so  good.  A  nitrate  bath  with  me 
means  a  solution  of  thirty  grains  of  pure  nitrate  of  silver  in 
one  ounce  of  pure  water,  sunned  all  the  while  it  is  not  in  actual 
use,  and,  when  used,  rendered  acid,  in  the  proportion  of  two 
drops  of  pure  nitric  acid  to  a  half  gallon  of  solution.  The  plate 
remains  in  this  solution  till  the  greasy  marks  disappear ;  it  is 
then  taken  out  at  once,  and  placed  in  a  funnel  to  drain ;  it  is 
allowed  to  drain  not  less  than  five  minutes,  and  is  then  ready 
for  the  slide. 

I  arrange  the  copying  camera  in  the  studio  so  that  the  light 
which  passes  through  the  negative  to  be  copied  comes  only 
through  one  of  the  side  lights,  and  I  have  no  reflectors  of  any 
kind.  Behind  the  negative,  however,  1  place  a  piece  of  finely- 
ground  glass,  which  renders  the, light  perfectly  even.  For  this 
beautiful  adaptation  I  am  indebted  to  the  late  Mr.  Baden 
Pritchard,  who  showed  me  the  plan  at  Woolwich.  The  lens  I 
use  is  a  Dallmeyer  Ho.  2B.  With  this,  with  the  arrangement  I 
describe,  the  exposure  is  from  five  to  twenty  seconds.  If  the 
enamel  to  be  taken  is  of  small  size,  I  prefer  to  have  a  mask  on 
the  negative,  and  to  block  out  all  light  except  that  actually 
needed,  as  this  enables  me  to  take  four  or  five  images  side  by 
side,  by  simply  pushing  the  camera  dark  slide  a  little  way  each 
time. 

The  exposure  and  development  of  the  image  is  a  matter  re¬ 
quiring  the  greatest  care  and  attention,  as  on  the  complete  sue- 


180 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


cess  of  the  transparency  the  whole  process  turns.  The  develop¬ 
ing:  solution  is  made  as  follows : 

© 

Pyrogallic  acid,  -  -  -  -  12  grains. 

Glacial  acetic,  -----  4  drams. 

Alcohol,  ------  4  drams. 

Water  to  fill  a  12-ounce  bottle. 

In  warm  weather  this  may  he  more  dilute — say,  as  far  as 
giving  20  ounces  of  water  to  the  same  quantity  of  pyro.  Then, 
of  course,  more  alcohol  will  be  needed. 

This  should  be  made  three  days  before  it  is  used,  as  it  is  too 
vigorous  in  its  action  at  first.  On  the  other  hand,  it  must  not 
be  kept  too  long,  as  then  it  deteriorates  in  the  other  direction. 
These  are  the  characteristics  in  development  which,  according 
to  my  experience,  must  be  obtained  in  order  to  secure  a  good 
result.  The  image  must  develop  very  slowly.  The  image 
must  attain  the  exact  density  required  at  the  same  moment 
that  it  attains  the  right  amount  of  detail  in  the  high-lights. 
The  image,  when  examined  by  reflected  light,  must  not  be 
“filling  up”  (if  I  may  use  the  term)  in  the  dark  parts,  or  at 
least  the  “filling  up”  must  only  extend  to  a  very  few  tones, 
and  above  the  very  darkest.  The  image,  when  examined  by 
reflected  light,  should  show,  in  fact,  nearly  all  the  drawing  and 
shading  of  the  subject ;  while,  of  course,  when  seen  by  trans¬ 
mitted  light,  it  should  show  up  with  extreme  perfection.  Ev¬ 
ery  detail  must  be  there,  with  a  fair  amount  of  density  ;  but 
heavy  blacks  are  to  be  avoided. 

In  actual  practice  I  find  it  best  to  place  the  plate  on  a  level 
stand  during  the  last  stage  of.  development,  right  under  the 
tap ;  a  full  stream  can  thus  be  turned  on  at  the  exact  instant 
at  which  it  is  required  to  stop  the  action  of  the  developer. 

The  plate  must  be  well  washed  at  this  stage,  and  the  fixing 
must  be  done  with  cyanide  of  potassium.  I  prefer  a  weak 
solution,  and  carefully  avoid  pouring  it  upon  the  face  or  other 
delicate  parts  of  the  picture.  The  washing  should  be  copious, 
and  it  should  follow  as  quickly  as  possible  on  the  completion 
of  the  fixation. 

When  the  washing  is  complete,  break  off  a  small  piece  of 
the  film  at  one  corner  of  the  plate,  and  direct  a  thin  stream  of 
water  from  the  tap  on  this  corner,  making  it  strike  on  the  bare 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


181 


glass.  The  use  of  a  camel’s-hair  brush  here  will  facilitate  rais¬ 
ing  the  edge  of  the  collodion,  so  that  a  large  jet  of  water  can 
be  got  under  the  film ;  this  being  directed  in  the  proper  man¬ 
ner,  by  tilting  the  plate,  will  effectually  loosen  the  film  from 
the  glass.  As  soon  as  this  is  done,  restore  the  plate  to  the  hor¬ 
izontal  position,  and,  with  a  pointed  stick,  like  a  penholder, 
break  away  from  around  the  picture  as  much  film  as  can  well 
be  spared.  Clear  off  the  broken  pieces  with  the  finger,  and 
give  a  slight  extra  rinse  under  the  tap.  This  must  be&  gently 
done,  as  our  film  is  all  loose  now,  and  may  slip  off  if  we  are 
not  very  careful.  Get  about  two  or  three  ounces  of  water  on 
the  plate,  holding  it  quite  level,  then,  bringing  the  whole  over 
a  large  dish  filled  a  couple  of  inches  deep  with  water,  lower 
one  end  gently  into  the  water,  when  the  film  will  slip  off  into 
the  dish  without  the  slightest  injury.  If  protected  from  dust, 
the  film  may  be  left  at  this  stage  quite  twenty-four  hours  with¬ 
out  any  injury  or  deterioration. 

The  next  stage  is  the  toning.  To  make  up  the  toning  bath 
just  right  is  an  important  feature  in  the  process.  My  procedure 
is  as  follows  :  Get  a  sixteen-ounce  bottle,  half  fill  it  with  water, 
put  it  into  a  saucepan,  also  half  full  of  water,  and  set  the  whole 
arrangement  on  the  fire,  or  over  the  gas,  till  the  water  in  the  sauce- 
Pan  comes  f°  the  boil.  If  the  glass  bottle  does  not  crack  under 
this  trial,  it  may  be  used  with  safety.  Place  in  the  bottle  a  quar¬ 
ter  of  an  ounce  of  potassio-chloride  of  iridium,  fill  it  up  with 
cold  water,  and  set  it  in  the  saucepan  again ;  this  time,  how¬ 
ever,  do  not  boil  the  water  in  the  saucepan,  but  place  it  where 
it  will  keep  very  hot.  Shake  the  bottle  occasionally.  After 
about  half  an  hour,  remove  the  bottle  from  the  hot  water,  and 
place  it  aside  to  settle  and  cool.  When  quite  cold  it  will  be 
fit  foi  use.  This  solution  will  remain  good  any  length  of  time. 

I  have  a  suspicion  that  it  improves  by  keeping,  but  I  am  not 
suie  on  this  point.  To  make  up  the  toning  bath,  proceed  as 
follows :  Place  12  ounces  of  pure  water  in  a  bottle,  add  to 
this  14  drams  of  the  iridium  solution.  Shake  it  up  well.  Now 
add  a  few  drops  at  a  time,  and  shaking  well  between  each  ad¬ 
dition,  <  drams  of  a  solution  of  chloride  of  gold  (strength,  1 
grain  to  1  dram).  The  bath  is  then  ready  for  immediate  use, 
but  is  better  after  keeping.  It  keeps  indefinitely.  It  is  par- 


182 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


ticnlar  to  note  in  this  place  that  the  solution  in  the  iridium  bot¬ 
tle  will  have  a  nearly  black  sediment.  This  is  simply  undis¬ 
solved  chloride.  When  all  the  clear  solution  has  been  used  up, 
more  water  may  be  added,  and  this  remainder  used  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  first  lot,  but  care  must  be  taken  that  too  much 
water  is  not  added,  as  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  the  chloride  will 
not  make  two  sixteen-ounce  bottles  full  of  the  saturated  solu¬ 
tion,  but  only  about  one  and  one-third,  or  one  and  a-half. 

To  use  the  enamel  toning  bath  proceed  as  follows :  Pour  some 
out  into  a  clean  dish  to  the  depth  of  about  half  an  inch.  Stand 
near  to  this  a  large  dish  filled  to  the  depth  of  one  inch  with  clean 
water,  and  also  a  small  dish  with  pieces  of  glass  in  it  under 
water.  The  glasses  may  be  about  quarter-plate  size,  or  such  as 
will  be  found  most  convenient.  Now  take  up  one  of  these 
glasses,  and  slip  it  under  the  film  containing  a  transparency  to 
be  toned,  gently  raise  the  glass  to  the  surface  (at  the  same  time 
manipulating  the  film  with  a  camel’s-hair  brush  held  in  the  right 
hand)  in  such  a  manner  that  when  the  glass  and  film  on  it  are 
lifted  out  of  the  water,  there  will  be  an  edge  of  film  (say)  a 
quarter  of  a  inch  wide  lapping  over  one  edge  of  the  glass.  The 
action  of  the  water,  as  the  plate  is  taken  out,  will  wash  this 
piece  or  edge  of  film  round  to  the  back  of  the  plate,  and,  by  so 
doing,  will  fix  the  transparency  on  the  glass  in  a  very  satis¬ 
factory  manner.  If  care  be  taken  that  the  edge  where  the  film 
laps  over  is  kept  uppermost,  or  highest,  a  very  considerable 
stream  of  water  may  be  poured  on  the  film  without  any  dan¬ 
ger  of  it  slipping.  Having  got  the  film  on  the  glass,  it  should 
be  rinsed  under  the  tap  in  the  manner  just  suggested,  and  the 
film  may  then  immediately  be  transferred  to  the  toning  bath. 
To  do  this,  turn  the  glass  over  so  that  the  body  of  the  film  is 
underneath,  lower  it  gently  under  the  surface  of  the  solution, 
and,  with  a  brush,  disengage  the  lap  of  film  where  it  had  turned 
the  edge  of  the  plate,  now,  of  course,  uppermost.  As  soon  as 
this  is  done,  the  film  will  move  off  into  the  solution  free  of 
glass,  which  can  then  be  removed.  When  the  film  has  floated 
free  for  about  a  minute,  turn  it  over  with  the  brush,  and  note 
carefully  if  the  deepest  shadows  are  toned  through,  so  as  to 
give  one  uniform  tint  to  the  whole  film.  Turn  the  film  over 
and  over,  and  move  it  about  till  this  is  effected,  and,  as  soon  as 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


183 

it  is  so,  remove  it  from  the  bath  by  the  same  piece  of  glass, 
used  m  the  same  manner,  i.e.,  securing  the  film  by  making  a 
httle  piece  of  it  lap  over  to  the  back  along  one  edge  of  the  glass. 
Let  the  film  dram  a  few  moments,  and  then  transfer  it  to  the 
large  dish  of  clean  water.  As  soon  as  it  is  free  of  the  glass  in 
this  dish,  gently  agitate  the  water  with  a  brush,  so  as  to  wash 
away  the  toning  solution  still  adherent  to  the  film. 

I  strongly  object  at  this  stage  to  washing  the  film  under  a 
tap— dish  washing  is  far  preferable,  and  as  little  of  that  as  pos¬ 
sible  should  be  employed.  As  each  print  is  toned  in  succes¬ 
sion  it  is  placed  in  the  same  large  dish  of  water.  I  use  one 
that  will  take  a  half-sheet  of  paper.  When  all  are  finished  so 
far,  change  them  one  by  one  into  another  dish  of  water,  taking 
up  each  film  with  the  glass  as  before  described.  This  is  all 
the  washing  they  are  to  have.  Now  proceed  to  mount  them 
on  the  tablets.  First  of  all,  pour  back  the  toning  bath  and 
put  away  the  dish  it  was  used  in,  then  set  before  you  on  the 
table  two  dishes,  one  filled  about  half  an  inch  deep  with  am¬ 
monia  solution,  and  the  other  about  the  same  depth  with  clean 
water. 


Ammonia  solution  at  880  deg., 
Water,  - 

This  must  be  kept  well  corked. 


6  drams. 
12  ounces. 


Half  an  ounce  of  this  mixture  diluted  with  one  pint  of  wa¬ 
ter  makes  the  bath,  into  which  the  films  are  to  be  plunged. 

Get  a  chair  and  sit  down  to  the  work,  as  it  is  far  easier  to 
manipulate  the  films  if  both  arms  can  rest  on  the  table.  Take 
off  your  watch  and  place  it  before  you,  so  that  you  can  see  it 
as  you  work.  Now  place  in  the  dish  of  clean  water  a  clean 
glass,  and  on  that  an  enamel  tablet,  carefully  washed  previ- 
oiibly.  Now  take  another  clean  glass,  and  with  it  remove  one 
of  the  toned  films  from  the  dish  in  which  it  was  washed,  and 
plunge  the  same  into  the  ammonia  bath.  As  the  film  enters 
the  solution,  take  the  time  by  the  seconds’  hand  of  the  watch, 
and  withdraw  the  film  when  it  has  been  in  twenty  seconds ; 
plunge  it  as  rapidly  as  possible  into  the  water  where  the  tablet 
ib,  disengage  the  glass,  and  slightly  agitate  the  water  in  the 
dish  to  give  the  film  a  sort  of  wash.  Now  take  up,  with  the 
left  hand,  the  piece  of  glass  on  which  the  tablet  rests,  and 


184 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


raise  it  about  half  way  to  the  surface  ;  then,  manipulating  with 
the  brush,  held  in  the  right  hand,  bring  the  him  to  its  proper 
position  over  the  tablet.  By  raising  the  latter  very  gradually 
the  film  can  be  laid  in  its  place  in  this  way  with  the  utmost 
certainty.  As  soon  as  the  glass  is  fairly  out  of  the  water, 
place  it  with  one  edge  raised  a  little,  so  as  to  drain.  If  the 
glass  is  placed  at  too  steep  an  angle  there  is  danger  that 
the  tablet  will  slip  out,  or,  at  any  rate,  get  disarranged. 

It  is  proper  to  note,  in  this  place,  that  the  tablets  being 
curved,  the  films  will  not  lie  flat  without  the  exercise  of  a  little 
care  on  the  part  of  the  operator.  Care  must  be  taken  to  avoid 
the  formation  of  one  ridge  or  two  around  the  edges  of  the 
tablet,  but  the  spare  film  should  be  made  to  lie  as  nearly  as 
possible  equally  in  all  directions.  If  this  is  done  with  care,  no 
puckers  or  laps  will  be  found  in  the  film  when  it  is  completed 
in  the  next  stage  of  the  proceedings.  When  the  films  have 
got  almost  surface-dry,  the  tablets  are  to  be  removed  from  the 
glass  plates  in  which  they  were  lifted  from  the  water.  To 
do  this,  place  the  plate  level,  and,  with  a  sharp-pointed  stick, 
tear  away  the  useless  film  around  the  edges  of  the  tablet,  slip 
a  thin  knife  under  the  tablet,  and  lift  it  off  the  glass  on  to  a 
sheet  of  blotting  paper,  and  at  once  cover  it  with  a  large  bell 
jar,  or  other  glass  vessel,  to  protect  it  from  dust  and  accident. 

The  picture  is  now  ready  for  burning,  and  it  should  at  this 
stage  look  like  a  finished  enamel,  and  be  as  perfect  in  every 
respect,  in  the  matter  of  light  and  shade  and  tone,  etc.,  only  it 
will  be  of  a  bluer  shade  of  color  than  the  finished  result ; 
but  it  ought  to  have  the  same  relative  shade  of  color  now  as  it 
is  to  have  in  the  completed  result.  The  tablet  may  be  burned 
at  once,  or  left  many  days,  or  even  weeks,  without  change. 

I  much  prefer  a  gas  muffle  furnace  for  burning  the  enamels 
in,  to  one  heated  by  coke ;  whichever  is  used,  it  should  be 
readv  and  at  the  full  heat,  a  clear  cherry  red  inclining  to 
white,  but  by  no  means  a  full  white  heat;  too  much  heat  is  a 
mistake,  as  it  renders  the  process  unmanageable,  and  produces 
no  good  result  to  make  up  for  the  extra  difficulty  of  work. 

The  burning  is  a  most  delicate  operation,  and  all  the  care 
and  attention  of  the  artist  are  required  to  secure  the  result  at 
its  very  best  point ;  still,  with  care,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


185 


that  nine  out  of  ten  enamels  can  be  burned  to  a  successful 
issue. 

Take  up  one  of  the  tablets  and  place  it  upon  a  piece  of  fire¬ 
clay  in  front  of  the  muffle,  but  not  too  near,  say  at  a  distance 
of  about  six  or  eight  inches.  The  fire-clay  should  be  supported 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  tip  the  enamel  towards  the  heat,  so  that 
the  lays  may  fall  upon  it,  as  near  as  may  be  equally  all  over  it. 
When  it  has  been  roasted  in  this  manner  a  little  while,  move 
it  a  little  nearer,  and  then  a  little  nearer,  examining  it  each 
time.  As  soon  as  the  action  of  the  heat  has  turned  the  color 
of  the  film  brown  in  the  least  degree,  it  may  be  dealt  with 
fearlessly ;  the  fire-clay,  with  the  enamel  on  it,  may  then  be 
placed  level,  just  in  the  mouth  of  the  muffle,  where  in  a  few 
moments  the  film  will  take  all  the  shades  of  brown  till  it  gets 
quite  dark  all  over ;  now  push  it  into  the  heat.  (A  wire  set  in 
a  wooden  handle,  and  with  about  half-an-inch  at  the  other  end 
bent  to  a  right  angle,  is  a  most  useful  tool  in  manipulating  the 
fire-clay  plates  when  in  the  muffle.)  As  soon  as  the  plate  is  in 
the  heat,  watch  it  with  great  care  ;  it  will  seem  to  get  perfectly 
black  all  over,  and  then  almost  on  a  sudden  the  whites  of  the 
picture  will  be  seen  coming  out  quite  clear ;  the  moment  this 
takes  place,  draw  the  tablet  towards  the  mouth  of  the  muffle, 
and  remove  it  to  the  outside  to  cool  a  little  gradually,  and  then 
take  the  tablet  right  away  and  place  on  wood  to  get  cold.  All 
beauty  will  by  this  time  have  disappeared  from  the  enamel, 
the  whites  will  stand  out,  and  the  few  tones  next  to  them  will 
have  some  clearness,  but  all  the  other  tones  will  be  a  dark  and 
confused  mass — hardly  distinguishable  the  one  from  the  other. 
This  is  the  true  characteristic  of  a  good  enamel  at  this  stage. 
It  is  now  ready  to  glaze. 

The  enamel  glaze  as  prepared  for  photographic  work  can  be 
had  of  most  dealers  in  artists’  materials.  About  a  thimbleful 
of  the  glaze  (which  is  a  fine  powder  like  flour)  is  placed  in  a 
small,  narrow  bottle — say,  a  two-ounce  medicine  bottle — and 
the  bottle  filled  up  about  three  parts  with  alcohol.  This  is 
marked  <k  Glaze  in  alcohol.  To  make  up  the  glazing  mixture, 
take  a  two-ounce  medicine  bottle,  and  put  in  it  half  an  ounce 
of  uniodized  collodion,  such  as  would  be  used  for  negatives  ; 
add  to  this  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  methylated  ether,  and 


186 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


half  an  ounce  of  alcohol ;  now  add  as  much  water  as  it  will 
take  without  throwing  the  gun-cotton  down.  To  do  this,  set 
the  tap  to  drip  very  slowly,  and  get  one  drop  into  the  bottle ; 
shake  violently,  and  then  get  another  drop  in,  and  repeat  the 
shaking ;  so  go  on  till  six  or  eight  drops  are  added,  which  will 
be  about  enough.  Shake  up  the  bottle  of  “  Glaze  in  alcohol,” 
and  let  it  rest  about  two  minutes  for  the  coarser  particles  to 
subside,  then  carefully  add  some  of  the  upper  part  of  the  mix¬ 
ture  to  the  diluted  collodion — enough  to  make  it  rather  opaque 
and  milky-looking  will  do.  This  is  the  glaze  ready  for  use  ;  it 
must  be  well  shaken  up  each  time  it  is  used. 

When  the  enamel  is  quite  cold,  balance  it  on  the  top  of  one 
finger  if  small,  or  near  the  edge  of  a  piece  of  flat  wood  if  large, 
and  pour  the  glaze  mixture  over  it ;  then  immediately  tilt  the 
enamel  up  to  the  vertical  position,  letting  the  glaze  run  off  on 
to  soft  blotting  paper,  rocking  the  tablet  in  the  meantime  to 
prevent  the  formation  of  lines.  When  the  collodion  is  set, 
place  the  tablet  in  a  muffle  on  a  piece  of  fire-clay,  and  gradu¬ 
ally  introduce  it  to  the  full  heat ;  keep  a  careful  watch  now  to 
see  that  the  burning  does  not  proceed  too  far.  The  glaze 
should  only  just  melt.  As  soon  as  this  is  the  case — which  will 
be  seen  by  looking  at  the  reflection  of  the  bent  wire  held  just 
above  the  tablet — pull  the  enamel  out,  and,  when  a  little  cool, 
remove  to  a  block  of  wood  to  get  cold  again. 

The  image  is  now  indellibly  fixed,  and  it  may  be  treated 
roughly  with  impunity.  The  picture  is  not,  however,  at  its 
full  beauty  as  yet,  as,  if  all  the  baths  etc.,  have  been  in  good 
order,  one  glazing  will  not  be  sufficient.  The  whites  will  be 
glazed,  or  have  a  polished  appearance,  but  the  darks  will  be 
still  of  a  mat  surface,  and  not  transparent  in  effect,  as  they 
should  be.  This  is  overcome  by  repeated  glazings.  No  en¬ 
amel  is  perfect  that  has  not  been  glazed  at  least  five  times. 
The  number  of  separate  burnings  (say,  five  or  six)  as  here 
recommended  give  a  totally  different  effect  to  what  would  be 
obtained  by  one  great  burn,  with  the  glaze  applied  thicker. 
Those  who  wish  to  save  themselves  trouble  will  work  in  this 
way ;  but  anyone  who  wants  to  get  the  best  results  will  not 
mind  the  trouble  of  five  or  six,  or  even  a  dozen  glazes. 

When  the  glazing  comes  nearly  to  an  end,  there  will  be 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


1ST 

found  some  little  points  where  improvement  is  needed  in  the 
way  of  retouching.  This  point  is  very  easily  gained  ;  collect, 
all  the  trimmings  of  films  after  they  have  been  through  the 
toning  and  ammonia  baths,  and  all  waste  or  torn  films  as  well ; 
place  them  a  few  moments  in  the  muffle  on  a  piece  of  fire-clay  • 
they  will  instantly  burn,  and  the  ash  is  to  be  carefully  collected 
and  kept  m  a  small  bottle.  A  little  of  this  may  be  put  out  on  a 
palette,  with  a  minute  atom  of  the  glaze  powder,  and  one  drop 
of  some  essential  oil,  and  then  well  rubbed  down  with  a  muller. 
.e  Pamt  so  obtained  may  be  used  with  fine  brushes,  dipped 
m  turpentine,  and,  the  work  being  burned  into  the  enamel,  will 
take  the  same  color  and  surface  as  the  rest  of  the  picture. 

Ceramic  colors  may  be  applied  to  enamels,  and  burnt  in  with 
considerable  success  ;  but  I  have  foimd  much  difficulty  hither¬ 
to  m  getting  the  red  shades  wanted  about  the  lips  and  cheeks 
right.  I  have  used  the  colors  made  by  La  Croix,  of  Paris. 

When  an  enamel  has  failed,  it  may  be  put  on  one  side,  and 
when  there  is  a  sufficient  collection  of  them,  the  images  may 
be  dissolved  off  with  fluoric  acid,  applied  with  a  rag  at  the  end 
of  a  stick ;  and  then,  after  washing,  the  tablet  may  be  fired  in 
the  muffle  till  it  melts  to  a  good  bright  surface.  If  this  be 
carefully  done,  the  tablet  so  renewed  will  be  as  good  as  a  new 
one.  In  this  firing  after  cleaning,  the  image  will  often  appear 
again  when  in  the  heat.  If  this  be  the  case,  the  heat  should 
be  continued  till  a  full  glaze  has  been  obtained,  when  the  tab¬ 
let,  after  cooling,  may  be  again  treated  with  the  acid,  and  amain 
fired.  6  * 

Failures  in  enamels  are  of  four  distinct  classes,  which  may 
be  thus  enumerated :  Class  I.  Failures  in  development. 
Class  II.  Failures  in  the  direction  of  getting  poor,  slaty 
bluish  colors,  which  glaze  all  at  once  when  put  in  the  muffle! 
Class  III.  Failures  in  the  direction  of  excessive  blackness,  just 
the  opposite  to  the  last.  And— Class  IY.  Failures  in  the 
glazing  operation  itself. 

With  legal d  to  the  first  class  of  failures,  I  would  suggest 
that  it  is  imperative  that  the  development  proceed  slowly;  this 
seems  to  me  the  only  condition  of  success.  The  photographer’s 
knowledge  of  his  business  will  enable  him  so  to  manage  the 
light,  lens,  exposure,  etc.,  of  the  film  as  to  secure  this  necessary 


188 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


condition.  I  do  not  think  the  developer  I  have  given  is  by 
any  means  the  only  one  that  will  do,  though,  as  in  my  hands  it 
succeeds  the  best,  I  never  use  any  other. 

The  second  class  of  failures  arises  from  there  being  too  much 
gold  in  the  toning  bath,  or  rather,  perhaps,  too  much  in  pro  • 
portion. 

The  third  class  arises  from  there  being  too  much  iridium,  or 
too  much  in  proportion.  Both  these  may  be  avoided  by  a 
strict  adherence  to  the  formula  I  have  given. 

<D 

The  fourth  class  of  failure — the  only  one  to  be  really  feared 
— is  the  most  difficult  to  deal  with.  It  is  much  more  difficult 
to  describe  than  to  show.  The  chief  thing  to  avoid  in  glazing 
is  the  getting  an  unequal  layer  of  glaze  on  the  tablet  the  first 
time.  Until  the  first  glaze  is  burned  in ,  the  picture  will  rub 
very  easily ,  therefore  a  badly-laid  glaze  will  be  its  ruin,  as  it 
cannot  be  removed.  After  the  first  glaze  is  burned,  the  enamel 
is  safe,  and  any  further  error  in  the  matter  of  pouring  on  the 
glaze,  etc.,  can  be  rectified  by  simply  washing  it  off  again 
under  the  tap.  Then,  again,  there  is  a  possibility  that,  when 
too  much  glaze  is  used,  the  enamel  will  spoil  by  what  I 
have,  till  recently,  looked  at  as  “burning  out,”  but  which 
I  have  since  found  out  to  be  simply  a  sinking  in  of  the 
image.  The  best  remedies  for  all  errors  in  glazing  are  to 
use  plenty  of  alcohol  in  the  collodion,  and  plenty  of  water ; 
and,  at  the  same  time,  the  smallest  workable  quantity  of 
glaze,  making  more  burns  of  it,  but  doing  less  work  at 
each  burn. 


Enamelled  Intaglios. 

A  very  beautiful  application  of  photographic  ceramics  is  the 
production  of  enamelled  intaglios  in  copper,  bronze,  gold,  sil¬ 
ver,  etc. 

The  process  is  a  combination  of  photo-chemigraphic  and 
photo-enamel  methods.  The  metal  plate  is  first  covered  with 
one  of  the  sensitive  mixtures  as  described  in  the  Chapter  on 
Photo-chemigraphy.  It  is  then  dried,  exposed  under  an  or¬ 
dinary  intense  positive,  developed  and  etched.  The  lines  of 
the  plate  are  then  filled  with  an  enamel  powder,  which  is  burned 
in  as  in  enamelling. 

C 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


189 


For  all  the  details  relating  to  the  production  of  the  engraved 
plate  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  Chapter  on  Photo-mechan¬ 
ical  printing  methods. 

For  a  black  enamel  the  following  mixture  is  recommended  : 


Silver  (powdered), 
Copper, 

Lead, 

Borax, 

Sulphur, 


38  parts. 
72  parts. 
50  parts. 
36  parts. 
384  parts. 


The  sulphur  is  fused  alone,  the  silver  and  copper  together, 
adding  the  lead  when  fusion  is  complete.  The  mixture  is  then 
placed  in  the  retort  containing  the  fused  sulphur,  closing  the 
mouth  of  the  retort  tightly  to  avoid  all  danger  of  the  mixture 
taking  fire.  As  soon  as  the  substances  are  well  incorporated 
together,  the  borax  is  added,  and  the  whole  turned  out  into  an 
iron  mortar  and  finely  pulverized.  The  enamel  is  then  washed 
in  water  containing  a  little  sal  ammoniac,  finishing  up  with 
water  in  which  a  little  gum  has  been  dissolved.  The  powder 
is  applied  with  a  wooden  spatula  to  the  well-cleaned  plate. 
Great  care  is  to  he  taken  to  have  the  filling-in  lines  well  filled 
with  the  enamel.  W  hen  all  the  lines  are  filled,  all  excess  of 
powder  is  removed,  and  the  plate  placed  in  the  muffle  and  fired 
as  usual.  When  the  fusion  is  finished  the  plate  is  removed  from 
the  muffle,  cooled  gradually,  and  polished  with  any  good  metal 
polisher. 

As  the  beauty  of  these  enamelled  intaglios  depends  upon 
harmonious  contrast  between  the  enamelled  lines  and  the  sur¬ 
face  of  the  plate,  enamel  powders  of  different  colors  must  be 
employed  to  secure  the  best  results,  using  for  this  purpose  any 
of  the  powders  given  in  the  Chapter  on  Photo-ceramics.  This 
process  is  capable  of  producing  beautiful  results,  and  being 
simpler  than  the  process  of  producing  surface  enamels,  the  be¬ 
ginner  is  advised  to  commence  with  this  simpler  process  before 
passing  on  to  the  more  complex  operations  of  enamelling. 


190 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

PHOTOMECHANICAL  PRINTING  METHODS. 

The  term  Photo-cliemigrapliic  is  used  to  designate  a  large 
•class  of  methods  in  which  photography  is  used  to  assist  in  the 
production  of  engraved  or  relief  plates  for  printing  from.  All 
these  processes  may  be  described  in  general  terms  as  consisting 
in  the  coating  of  a  wood  block  or  metal  plate  with  a  solution 
of  asphalt  or  bichromatised  gelatine,  exposing  the  plate  so  pre¬ 
pared  under  a  positive  or  negative ;  developing  the  image  by 
immersion  in  hot  water  to  dissolve  all  the  unaltered  asphalt  or 
gelatine,  and  finally  etching  with  some  acid  to  produce  the 
relief  or  intaglio. 

Detailed  description  of  some  of  the  best  of  the  methods  in 
common  use  is  given  below. 

The  Metal  Plates. 

The  metals  most  commonly  employed  in  the  various  plioto- 
chemigrapliic  or  photo-meclianical  processes  are  steel,  lead, 
copper  and  zinc  :  the  first  three  being  most  in  use  for  the 
production  of  engraved  plates,  while  zinc  is  used  indifferently 
for  both  engraved  and  typographic  plates. 

As  it  would  be  impossible  in  a  general  treatise  like  the 
present  to  discuss  in  detail  all  the  manifold  applications  of 
photography  to  the  production  of  heliographic  or  typographic 
plates,  the  author  has  selected  two  or  three  typical  processes 
of  each  type  for  detailed  treatment. 

The  principle  underlying  the  production  of  relief  blocks  or 
engraved  plates  is  the  same  in  either  case,  viz.:  the  insolubility 
of  gelatine  when  treated  with  a  bichromate  and  exposed  to 
light.  In  the  case  of  a  relief  block  the  parts  to  be  etched,  or 
bitten  in,  are  the  parts  between  the  lines ;  hence  those  parts 
must  be  protected  from  the  action  of  light,  as  otherwise  the 
gelatine  film  covering  them  could  not  be  dissolved  in  hot 
water,  and  etching  would  therefore  be  impossible.  For  photo- 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS.  191 

reliefs  therefore,  an  ordinary  negative  is  employed.  For  photo- 
intaglios,^  however,  a  reversed  position  is  required,  since  in 
this  case  it  is  the  lines  that  are  to  be  etched  ;  they  must  there¬ 
fore  retain  their  solubility  in  order  that  the  etching  process 
may  be  possible. 

Thp  Positives  and  Negatives. 

As  it  is  imperative  that  these  should  be  of  extreme  opaque¬ 
ness  in  those  parts  which  are  to  protect  the  sensitive  film  from 
the  action  of  light,  and  as  the  customary  process  of  development 
rarely  confers  this  quality,  a  method  is  given  by  which  “  black 
and  white”  negatives  or  positives,  as  these  intense  printing 
subjects  are  technically  called,  can  be  obtained.  The  method  is 
the  modified  ferrous-oxalate  development  as  recommended  by 
J.  O.  Moerch  in  his  valuable  work  on  photo-ckemigraphy,  and 
is  applicable  only  to  gelatine  plates. 

Herr  Moerch  adds  to  every  eight  ounces  of  the  ordinary 
ferrous-oxalate  developer  fifty  drops  of  a  solution  of  one  part 
of  iodine  and  of  iodide  of  potassium  in  150  parts  of  water. 
With  this  developer  and  proper  exposure,  gelatine  plates  of 
a  low  degree  of  sensitiveness  can  be  given  all  the  opacity 

needed,  if  a  few  drops  of  bromide  be  added  as  soon  as  the 
image  appears. 


Intensifying. 


This  should  be  resorted  to  only  as  a  last  resort.  It  would  be 
far  better  to  make  another  negative  more  correctly  exposed. 
If,  however,  this  is  impracticable,  Mr.  John  Carbutt’s  formula 
is  undoubtedly  the  best ;  as  follows  : 


1- — Bichloride  of  mercury,  - 
Chloride  of  ammonium, 

Water,  L 

2.  — Chloride  of  ammonium, 

Water,  ... 

3.  — (a)  Cyanide  of  potassium,  - 

Water,  . 

(6)  Nitrate  of  silver, 

Water,  - 

Add  ( h )  to  ( a )  until  a  small 
mains  undissolved. 


4  drams. 

4  drams. 

20  ounces. 

1  ounce. 

20  ounces. 

2  drams. 

-  -  16  ounces. 

100  grains. 

4  ounces. 

amount  of  the  precipitate  re- 


192 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


The  plate,  after  fixing,  is  most  thoroughly  washed  and  im¬ 
mersed  in  No.  1  until  it  is  perfectly  white  ;  it  is  then  well 
washed  and  immersed  in  No.  2  for  a  few  minutes;  after  wash¬ 
ing  well,  the  plate  is  flooded  with  No.  3,  when  it  turns  in¬ 
tensely  black.  The  plate  is  to  he  thoroughly  washed  after 
this  treatment.  By  the  above  method  it  is  easily  possible  to 
make  negatives  or  positives  suitable  for  bite  or  stipple  work 
on  slow  gelatine  plates. 

If,  however,  the  operator  prefers  collodion  plates,  the  form¬ 
ulas  given  in  the  Chapter  on  Photo-enamels  will  give  the  best 
plates. 

The  Metal  Plate. 

For  the  sake  of  brevity  and  conciseness,  zinc  has  been  se¬ 
lected  as  the  metal  to  be  treated  of  in  the  following  pages. 
The  operations  are  the  same  for  copper,  steel,  bronze  or  lead, 
differing  only  in  the  acids  used  for  etching.  • 

The  plates  are  carefully  planished  and  polished  with  pumice 
stone.  They  are  then  ready  for  coating  with  the  sensitive 
substance,  but  better  results  will  be  obtained  if  they  are  first 
given  a  coating  of  resin,  as  recommended  by  Mr.  Boux  in  his 
book  on  heliograpliic  methods  (Traite  Pratique  de  Gravure 
Heliographique),  as  follows :  A  box  is  constructed  of  a  size 
proportioned  to  the  size  of  the  plates  to  be  treated  ;  its  height 
should  not  be  less  than  twenty  inches.  At  the  top  and  bottom 
of  one  side  hinged  doors  are  cut  about  four  inches  from  each 
end.  Screws  are  then  placed  on  the  inside  of  each  end  to 
hold  the  plate.  The  box  is  mounted  on  tressels  in  such  a  man¬ 
ner  as  to  allow  it  to  be  easily  rotated. 

Half  a  pound  of  finely  powdered  resin  is  placed  in  the  bot¬ 
tom  of  the  box,  the  door  closed,  and  the  apparatus  given  two 
or  three  rotations.  After  two  or  three  minutes’  rest  the  zinc 
plate  is  placed  on  the  the  screw-heads.  In  a  short  time  it  will 
be  covered  with  an  even  deposit  of  the  resin ;  it  is  then  taken 
from  the  box,  placed  on  a  wire  toasting  iron,  and  heated  until 
the  resin  assumes  the  appearance  of  amber.  It  is  then  re¬ 
moved  and  dried.  The  heating  must  not  be  carried  too  far, 
lest  the  resin  be  converted  into  a  varnish  which  would  make 
etching  impossible. 

When  dry  the  plate  is  ready  for  coating. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


193 


Sensitizing  Mixtures. 

The  following  solutions  may  be  taken  as  types  of  the  various 
mixtures  in  common  use : 


l.-Dry  albumen  from  eggs,  .  -  .  15  to  SO  parts. 

Vvater,  - 

t>-  ,  '  100  parts. 

Bicarbonate  of  ammonia,  .  91/ 

’  '  -  parts. 

The  solution  is  allowed  to  settle,  and  then  filtered  and  a  few 
drops  of  ammonia  added. 


2. — Albumen  of  one  egg. 
Bichromate  of  potassium, 
Water, 


-  30  grains. 
6  ounces. 


.  The  ^chromate  is  to  be  finely  powdered  and  then  dissolved 
m  the  water,  and  the  solution  added  to  the  albumen  beaten  to 
a  froth.  After  settling,  the  solution  is  filtered. 


3. — Gelatine  (hard),  - 
Gelatine  (soft), 

Bichromate  of  potassium, 
Bichromate  of  ammonium, 
Water,  ... 


231  grains. 
231  grains. 
462  grains. 
308  grains. 
9%  ounces. 


The  gelatine  is  first  swelled  in  a  portion  of  the  water,  and 
then  dissolved  by  gentle  heat  in  the  remainder  of  the  water 
containing  the  salts.  Filter. 


Coating  the  Plate. 

The  plate  is  levelled,  the  mixture  poured  on  and  evenly  dis¬ 
tributed  by  means  of  a  triangular  piece  of  soft  paper.  When 
evenly  coated,  the  surplus  is  drained  off  into  a  reserve  bottle 
to  be  filtered  before  using  again.  The  coated  plate  is  dried  at 

120  deg.  Fahr.  in  the  drying-box  described  in  the  chapter  on 
Enamels, 

If  the  operator  is  in  possession  of  a  turning  table  having  a 
pneumatic  holder  in  the  center,  the  plate  may  be  dried  verv 
quickly  by  placing  it  on  the  table,  previously  moistening  the 
rubber  ring  of  the  holder,  inverting  the  table,  and  rotating  it 
rapidly.  Another  way  of  coating  and  drying  is  to  immerse 
the  polished  plate  in  water  and  flow  the  solution  over  it  while 
wet,  draining  off  the  surplus,  and  drying  the  plate  by  holding 
it  at  an  angle  over  a  lamp,  avoiding  over-heating. 

All  these  operations  should  be  performed  in  a  subdued  light. 


194 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


The  Exposure. 

The  exposure  varies  in  length  according  to  the  density  of 
the  printing  medium  and  the  intensity  of  the  light.  Generally 
from  three  to  five  minutes  in  full  sunlight  and  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  in  diffused  light  will  be  sufficient.  Experience  is  the 
only  guide. 

Development. 

This  is  effected  in  water  to  which  has  been  added  sufficient 
of  some  aniline  dye  to  give  it  a  decided  tinge.  This  enables 
the  progress  of  the  development  to  be  more  readily  observed. 
As  soon  as  the  details  are  well  out,  the  plate  is  dried  sponta¬ 
neously,  or  with  gentle  heat.  It  is  then  ready  for  etching. 

Clausintzer’s  Method  of  Developing. 

The  exposed  plate,  coated  with  solution  No.  2,  is  inked  up 
with  a  fine-grained  lithographic  roller,  using  thick  transfer  ink. 
It  is  then  placed  in  a  tray  of  cold  water  and  the  ink  washed 
away  from  the  non-exposed  parts  with  a  well-wet  dabber  of 
cotton.  This  is  to  be  done  with  a  gentle  circular  motion,  be¬ 
ginning  at  one  corner  of  the  plate  and  working  towards  the 
center ;  care  must  be  taken  to  avoid  washing  away  fine  lines 
and  marks.  If  the  plate  was  over-exposed,  the  ink  will  stick  ; 
if  under  exposed,  the  finer  portions  of  the  work  will  be  washed 
away.  When  all  the  superfluous  ink  is  removed,  the  plate  is 
washed  in  water,  and  dried  with  gentle  heat.  When  it  has 
cooled  down,  finely-powdered  resin  is  dusted  over  it  and  well 
rubbed  in,  all  excess  being  removed.  The  plate  is  then  warmed 
until  the  resin  begins  to  melt ;  it  is  then  etched,  dried,  rolled 
up,  washed,  resinized,  and  again  etched.  These  operations  are 
repeated  until  the  necessary  relief  has  been  obtained.  This 
process  gives  a  lithographic  block. 

The  Etching. 

The  biting-in  is  done  by  means  of  a  dilute  solution  of  an 
acid.  The  following  are  recommended  : 

1. — For  Zinc  Plates. 

Perchloride  of  iron  (well  dried),  -  -  50  grains. 

Alcohol  (Atwood’s),  -  -  -  -  100  grains. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


195 


2.  — Perchloride  of  iron, 

Water, 

Hydrochloric  acid,  - 

3.  — Nitric  acid, 

Water, 


1  dram. 
40  drams. 
30  drops. 
%  ounce. 
10  ounces. 


4- — For  Copper ,  Bronze ,  and  Steel. 


Perchloride  of  iron, 
Water, 

Hydrochloric  acid, 


1  dram. 
35  drams. 
20  drops. 


5. — For  Aluminium. 


Hydrochloric  acid,  - 
Water, 


1  ounce. 
5  to  10  ounces. 


6. — For  Gold  and  Platinum. 

Aqua  regia. 


7. — For  Silver. 


Nitric  acid, 
Water, 


1  ounce. 

-  10  to  30  ounces. 


8- — For  Stone  and  Marble. 


Hydrochloric  acid  more  or  less  diluted  with  water. 


9. —  Glass. 

Fluorhydric  acid  (liquid)  for  transparent  lines  on  a  mat  sur¬ 
face,  and  fluorhydric  acid  gas  for  mat  lines  on  a  trans¬ 
parent  surface. 


In  all  these  formulas  the  proportions  of  the  acid  may  be  in¬ 
creased  or  diminished  at  will,  but  a  weak  solution  will  usually 
be  found  to  give  the  best  results. 

Before  etching,  the  edges  and  backs  of  the  plates  should  be 
coveied  with  a  varnish  of  bitumen  of  Judaea  to  protect  it  from 
the  action  of  the  etching  fluid. 

The  duration  of  the  etching  depends  entirely  on  the  depth 
desired.  For  engraved  work  the  etching  need  not  be  very 
deep.  From  one-quarter  to  one-half  an  hour  will  be  sufficient. 
When  the  etching  is  completed  the  plate  is  well  washed, 
rubbed  with  a  cloth  to  remove  all  traces  of  albumen  or  gela¬ 
tine,  and  polished  with  pumice  stone.  It  is  then  ready  for  the  * 
press,  unless  it  is  desired  to  harden  it  in  the  galvanic  battery, 
as  will  be  presently  described. 


196 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


During  the  etching  it  is  always  well  to  keep  the  solution  in 
constant  motion  in  order  to  renew  the  portion  which  touches 
the  plate.  This  may  be  done  by  rocking  the  tray. 

The  process  of  etching  reliefs  is  more  difficult  than  with  en¬ 
graved  plates.  In  the  former  case  the  biting-in  must  be 
deeper,  and  to  avoid  the  undermining  of  the  relief  lines  by  the 
acid  it  is  necessary  now  and  then  to  remove  the  plate,  rinse, 
and  dry  it  with  heat,  apply  resin,  and  again  warm  to  melt  the 
resin  that  it  may  flow  down  the  sides  of  the  relief  lines,  and 
continue  the  etching.  This  process  is  to  be  repeated  till  suffi¬ 
cient  depth  is  obtained. 

Hardening  the  Plate. 

When  a  large  number  of  impressions  are  to  be  taken  from 
the  plate,  it  is  necessary  to  protect  it  from  wear  by  giving  it  a 
coating  of  some  more  resisting  metal,  such  as  iron  or  steel. 

M.  Roux  recommends  the  following  method :  The  well- 
cleaned  plate  is  attached  to  the  negative  pole  of  a  Bunsen  pile 
of  five  or  six  elements,  and  placed  in  a  copper  dish  containing 


the  following  solution  : — 

Chloride  of  ammonium.  - 

8  ounces. 

Water,  ... 

. 

40  ounces. 

Two  plates  of  sheet  iron  of  equal  size  are  then  attached  to 
the  two  wires  of  a  pile,  which  enter  the  solution.  Several 
days  are  required  to  complete  the  operation.  The  plate,  when 
well  coated,  is  rinsed  in  water,  polished  with  rouge,  and  wiped 
dry  with  a  wad  of  fine  linen  slightly  oiled. 

All  the  above  methods  can  be  employed  for  the  production 
of  engraved  or  relief  plates,  as  reversed  positives  or  ordinary 
negatives  are  used  to  give  the  impression. 

The  process  of  printing  from  these  blocks  lies  outside  the 
province  of  this  book  to  describe. 

Collotype. 

This  name  is  given  to  a  process  of  mechanical  printing  from 
glass  plates  coated  with  a  thin  film  of  bichromated  gelatine. 
Full  working  details  of  the  process  as  practiced  in  one  of  the 
largest  establishments  in  Vienna  are  here  given.  The  glass  for 
the  machine  press  should  be  patent  plate  one  half  an  inch 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


197 


thick;  for  the  hand  press,  it  need  be  no  thicker  than 
glass. 

Preliminary  Coating. —The  glass  is  thoroughly 
<uid  coated  with  the  following; 


ordinary 

cleaned 


Soluble  glass, 

Albumen, 

Water, 


3  parts. 
7  parts. 
-  9  to  10  parts. 


The  soluble  glass  must  be  free  from  caustic  potash.  The 
mixture  is  to  be  carefully  filtered  and  used  fresh.  Apply  an 
even  coat,  dram  off  the  superfluous  liquid,  and  dry.  When 
dried  rinse  the  plate  in  water  and  dry  again.  It  is  now  ready 
tor  the  next  stage  of  the  process. 


The  Sensitive  Film. — Bichromate  of  potash, 
,  Gelatine,  ... 

Water,  ... 


•  23%  grains. 

2%  grains. 
20-22  ounces. 


The  plate  is  warmed  slightly  on  a  slate  slab,  placed  in  con¬ 
tact  with  the  surface  of  a  water  bath,  and  flooded  with  the 
above  solution,  leaving  just  enough  to  make  a  very  thin  film. 

s  soon  as  coated,  the  plate  is  placed  on  the  levelled  shelf  of 
a  drying  box  and  dried  at  a  temperature  of  122  deo-.  Fahr. 
Ihe  time  of  drying  must  not  exceed  three  hours. 

Exposure.— The  time  required  for  exposure  is  short,  and 

can  only  be  measured  by  the  actinometer.  Experience  is  the 
only  guide. 

When  the  printing  is  done  the  plate  is  washed  in  cold  water 
for  an  hour  to  remove  the  soluble  bichromate.  If  upon 
removal  from  the  washing  water  the  plate  has  a  decided  yellow 
tinge  it  will  take  up  too  much  ink  when  rolled,  and  fail  to  rnve 
clear  impressions.  When  washed  and  dried  the  plate  should 
have  the  appearance  of  ground  and  polished  glass,  the  high- 
hghts  being  almost  transparent  and  the  shadows  opalescent.° 

.  Aching  the  Plate.— This  is  only  necessary  when  the  print¬ 
ing  is  done  on  the  steam  press.  The  following  is  the  etching 


Glycerine, 

Chloride  of  sodium, 
Water, 


500  parts. 
15  parts. 
500  parts. 


198 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


The  plate  is  immersed  in  this  fluid  for  half  an  hour,  during 
which  time  the  image  gains  in  relief.  It  is  then  dried  without 
washing  and  is  ready  for  printing  from.  Inking  and  printing 
can  be  learned  only  from  practice,  and  this  cannot  be  taught  in 
books.  It  is  best  learned  at  the  press. 

When  the  printing  is  done  on  the  small  hand  lithographic 
press,  the  plate  requires  no  etching  ;  merely  moistening  with 
glycerine  and  water  is  all  that  is  needed  to  prepare  the  image 
for  the  ink. 

Inking. — The  best  results  are  obtained  by  rolling  once  with 
thick  ink,  followed  by  an  application  of  a  thin  ink.  The  plate 
is  laid  upon  a  bed  of  plate-glass ;  a  moist  sponge  is  passed  over 
the  surface ;  it  is  then  rolled  two  or  three  times  with  a  soft 
roller,  covered  with  wash-leather ;  then  a  roller  of  glue,  charged 
with  lithographic  ink  is  applied,  and  then  another  charged  with 
thin  ink.  The  paper  to  be  printed  is  laid  down  on  the  plate 
and  the  impression  taken  off. 

Mr.  Riley’s  Method  for  Amateurs. 

The  Substratum. 

Ale,  -  -  -  .  -  -  -  1  ounce. 

Silicate  of  soda,  -  -  ...  8  drops. 

Place  in  a  bottle  and  shake  well ;  allow  the  mixture  to  settle 
for  twenty  minutes,  then  filter.  The  plate,  thoroughly  clean, 
is  given  a  coating  of  this  substratum  and  stood  on  end  to  dry. 
When  dry  another  coating  is  applied  in  the  same  manner, 
and  the  plate  stood  on  the  opposite  end  to  dry. 

The  Sensitive  Film. — Soak  44  grains  of  soft  gelatine  one 
quarter  of  an  hour  in  sufficient  water  to  cover ;  then  dissolve 
in  a  water  bath.  Then  pour  upon  it  the  following  solution, 
hot,  but  not  boiling : 

Water,  ------  4  drams. 

Bichromate  of  ammonia,  -  -  -  -  6  grains. 

Mix  well  and  filter. 

Flow  the  prepared  plate  with  this  mixture,  using  one-half 
an  ounce  for  a  5  x  S  plate,  and  place  on  a  levelled  slab  in  the 
drying-box.  It  should  dry  in  two  hours. 

Expose  under  an  ordinary  negative  for  an  hour,  then  wash 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS.  I99 

m  cold  water  for  one  and  a  half  hour,  and  dry  in  the  open  air 
When  dry,  damp  with  a  weak  solution  of  glycerine  and  water 
ink  as  described  above,  and  take  off  impression  at  once 

Drying-Box.— The  box  is  20  inches  high  and  12  inches 
square.  Two  ledges  carrying  two  thumb-screws  each  are 
placed  about  six  inches  from  the  top.  A  glass  slab  covered 
with  two  or  three  sheets  of  blotting  paper  rests  on  the  ends  of 
the  screws,  and  is  to  be  carefully  levelled  before  the  plate  is 
put  in.  A  piece  of  iron  6x4x3  inches,  heated  in  the  tire 
rests  on  angle  irons  about  6  inches  below  the  glass  slab’ 
Ventilation  holes  are  bored  at  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  box 
The  heat  should  not  exceed  120  deg.  Fahr.,.and  should  be 
kept  as  near  that  point  as  possible. 

Methods  of  Graining  Typographic  Plates. 

.  The  word  “  Srain  ”  is  technically  used  to  express  the  ink-hold¬ 
ing  power  of  the  printing  block  or  plate.  In  the  case  of  a 
subject  in  line  it  is  only  necessary  to  produce  incised  lines  or 
grooves  below  the  surface  of  the  metal.  But  this  method  will 
be  found  insufficient  where  there  are  shadows  or  half-shadows 
The  ink  will  be  wiped  away  from  these  unless  means  are  taken 
to  prevent  it.  The  lines  must  be  broken  up  into  dots  or  dashes 
m  order  to  give  a  block  which  can  be  printed  from. 

Many  ingenious  methods  of  producing  this  result  have  been 
devised.  Of  these,  three  of  the  most  valuable  have  been  se¬ 
lected  for  descrijition. 

The  Ives’  Method.— This  consists  in  obtaining  a  positive  on 
a  bichromated  gelatine  film,  which  is  swelled  until  the  lffiht 
parts  of  the  picture  stand  out  in  bold  relief.  A  plaster  mould 
or  cast  is  made  from  this.  The  cast  is  then  inked  in  the  follow¬ 
ing  manner  :  The  elastic  composition  of  glue  and  molasses 
used  m  mkmg-rollers,  is  made  in  flat  sheets,  furrowed  by  Y- 
sliaped  depressions,  crossed  by  others  not  quite  so  deep.  This 
gives  an  inking  surface  made  up  of  a  series  of  tiny  pyramids 
standing  close  together,  and  the  ink  is  applied  in  such  a  way  as 
to  ink  both  the  tops  and  sides  of  the  pyramids  and  the  inter¬ 
vening  depressions  or  ditches.  The  inking  surface  so  prepared 
is  pressed  upon  the  white  plaster  cast,  and  when  it  is  removed 
a  reproduction  of  the  original  picture  is  seen,  only  in  little 


200 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


blocks  instead  of  in  continuous  tone.  This  is  photographed, 
and  from  the  picture  in  line  or  point  thus  produced  a  relief 
plate  is  produced  by  any  of  the  usual  methods. 

The  Meisenbach  Method. — In  this  process  the  original  pic¬ 
ture  is  photographed  through  a  grating  made  by  coating  glass 
with  an  opaque  film,  through  which  transparent  lines  are 
closely  cut  and  crossing  each  other.  This  grating  is  placed 
a  short  distance  in  front  of  the  picture,  and  it  produces  the  curi¬ 
ous  effect  of  transforming  the  darker  portions  of  the  picture 
into  thicker  lines.  The  relief  plate  is  made  from  this  line 
effect. 

The  Photo-lithographic  and  Photo-gravure  Methods. — In 
photo  lithographic  work  the  grain  is  produced  by  transferring 
the  image  in  ink  as  described  above  to  a  grained  lithographic 
stone. 

In  the  photo-gravure  process  the  grain  is  produced  by  sprink¬ 
ling  emery  powder  on  the  mould  which  gives  the  granulated 
surface  seen  in  all  plioto-gravures. 

The  same  effect  is  sometimes  produced  by  dusting  the  nega¬ 
tive  before  printing  with  emery  to  gelatine  powder. 

The  Art  of  Making  Photo-gravures. 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Photographic  Section  of  the 
American  Institute,  Mr.  Ernest  Edwards,  President  of  the 
Photo-gravure  Company,  read  a  highly  interesting  paper  on 
“  The  Art  of  making  Photo-gravures,”  which  was  listened  to 
with  the  closest  attention  by  all  present.  To  illustrate  the 
grain  and  line  work  of  the  different  photo-mechanical  print¬ 
ing  processes,  he  projected  them  upon  the  screen  with  the 
sciopticon.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  lecture,  Mr.  Edwards’ 
head  printer,  Mr.  Solinan,  who  was  in  attendance  with  his 
presses,  made  some  prints  from  various  plates,  and  Mr.  Ed¬ 
wards  presented  each  of  his  auditors  with  a  souvenir  illustra¬ 
tive  of  this  important  branch  of  photography.  The  follow¬ 
ing  are  extracts  from  Mr.  Edwards’s  article  as  published  in  the 
Photographic  Times : 

“  If  I  may  venture  the  prediction,  I  think  the  history  of 
photography  for  the  next  decade  will  be  the  history  of  ortho- 
chromatic  work.  Surely,  next  to  the  production  of  the  colors 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHOOS. 


201 


themselves,  there  is  nothing  to  be  desired  so  much  as  the  ren¬ 
dering  of  the  true  values  of  these  colors.  I  place  the  ortho- 
chromatic  or  isochromatic  negative  as  the  highest  point  yet 
attained  in  negative-making,  and  as  constituting  the  outcome 

to-day  of  that  germ  that  was  brought  into  being  nearly  a  hun¬ 
dred  years  ago. 

*****  * 

“  ^  ow  let  us  consider  for  the  moment  what  are  the  conditions 
necessary  to  be  secured  in  a  metal  plate  made  by  photography 
and  suitable  for  plate-printing.  In  the  case  of  a  subject  in 
line  only,  an  incised  line  or  groove  must  be  made  below  the 
surface  of  the  surrounding  metal.  The  ink  is  dabbed  or  rolled 
into  such  lines,  and  the  surface  of  the  plate  cleaned  with  cloths 
and  the  ball  of  the  hand,  leaving  the  ink  only  in  the  incised 
lines.  This  ink  is  transferred  to  paper  by  pressure,  and  be¬ 
comes  the  impression.  This  is  all  well  enough  in  the  case  of 
lines,  but  it  is  clear  it  will  not  be  sufficient  where  there  are 
masses  of  shadow  or  half-shadow.  The  cloth,  or  the  hand,  will 
wipe  away  the  ink  from  these  masses  of  shadow,  unless  some¬ 
thing  is  done  to  prevent  it.  Of  course,  in  line-engraving  a 
series  of  lines  may  be  made  which  forms  a  shadow,  each  of 
which  series  has  an  ink-holding  capacity,  and,  out  of  which, 
the  ink  cannot  be  wiped.  The  closer  these  lines  are  together 
and  the  deeper  they  are,  the  stronger  is  the  shadow  produced, 
because  the  smaller  is  the  amount  of  surface  to  be  wiped  clean! 
Again,  to  go  a  step  further,  a  series  of  lines  may  be  incised  or 
engra\  ed  on  a  plate,  and  at  right  angles  to  these  a  similar  series. 
In  this  way,  assumingthat  the  incised  lines  are  V-shaped,  noth¬ 
ing  will  be  left  of  the  surface  of  the  plate  but  a  series  of 
points,  each  of  which  is  the  apex  of  a  pyramid  and  each  of 
which  prevents  the  cloth  or  the  hand  from  wiping  the  ink  out 
of  that  portion  of  the  plate  surrounding  it.  This  is  the  essen¬ 
tial  cardinal  feature  of  a  plate  for  plate-printing,  and  this  is 
the  essential  cardinal  feature  which  must  be  obtained  in  any 
photographically-produced  plate  of  a  similar  kind.  Whether 
formed  in  the  way  I  have  described,  or  whether  the  plate,  is 
honeycombed  with  a  series  of  cells,  of  which  the  walls  reach 
to  the  surface  of  the  plate,  there  must  be  an  ink-holding 
capacity  to  the  plate,  which  must  not,  therefore,  simply  be  a 


202 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


a  plate  in  relief  and  depression.  If  that  only  were  needed,  it 
would  be  easy  enough  to  make,  by  means  of  gelatine  and 
bichromate,  a  picture  or  matrix  in  relief  and  depression  from 
any  photographic  negative,  and  deposit  copper  on  it  tilHhick 
enough  to  print  from.  But  such  a  plate  could  have  no  value, 
as  it  would  have  no  ink-holding  capacity,  and,  therefore,  all 
the  ink  would  be  wiped  out  of  it  in  the  process  of  cleaning. 
Some  device  must  be  obtained  by  which  this  ink-holding 
capacity,  or  grain,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  shall  be  given  to 
the  plate.  The  solution  of  this  problem  has  been  sought  by 
an  army  of  experimentalists,  and  numberless  ingenious  devices 
have  been  ntilized  in  order  to  solve  it.  It  may  be  broadly 
stated  that  the  production  of  a  grain  which  shall  be  effective 
for  the  purpose  and  yet  shall  not  be  apparent  in  the  finished 
picture,  is  the  keystone  of  all  methods  or  processes  for  mak¬ 
ing  successful  photo-gravure  plates. 

******* 

“You  see  we  have  here  the  aquatint  device  for  graining,  the 
keystone  of  success  for  his  process,  though  possibly  not  under¬ 
stood  to  be  so  by  him.  Mr.  Talbot  then  goes  on  to  describe 
minutely  the  methods  and  the  preparation  of  the  chemicals 
used  for  etching,  and  I  can  say  that  his  descriptor ,  given 
nearly  forty  years  ago,  will  serve  as  a  text-book  for  the  etcher 
of  to-day.  Altogether  his  process  is  marvellously  close  to  the 
method  of  producing  photo-gravure  plates  by  etching  as  now 
practiced. 

“But  of  all  these  processes,  with  all  the  ingenious  devices  in¬ 
vented  in  connection  with  them,  two  only  remain  in  general 
use  to-day.  One  is  the  deposit,  the  other  is  the  etching  pro¬ 
cess.  I  venture  to  predict  that  finally  the  etching  process  will 
be  master  of  the  situation.  Letting  alone  the  greater  facility 
and  economy  of  production  it  offers,  the  results  produced  by  it 
are  equally  good  in  the  case  of  reproductions,  and  better  in  the 
case  of  photographic  work  directly  from  nature  or  life.  I  have 
stated  that  the  etching  process  is  the  one  used  by  our  company, 
and  the  results  are  before  you.  I  am  bold  enough  to  say  that 
photo-gravure  work  in  America  to-day  equals  any  in  the  world 
in  the  matter  of  reproductions,  and  excels  any  in  the  world  in 
the  matter  of  pure  photographic  work.  I  shall  ask  your 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


203 


patience  a  moment  longer  whilst  I  describe  broadly  our  method 
of  producing  a  photo-gravure  plate. 

******* 

“  But  1  would  like  to  say  a  word  as  to  the  advantages  of  pho¬ 
to-gravure  as  a  method  of  photo-mechanical  printing.  It  is 
not  a  cheap  process.  It  cannot  be  printed  with  type.  But 
just  as  a  steel  or  copper-plate  print  has  qualities  which  are  not 
possessed  by  a  wood-cut,  a  plioto-gravure  has  qualities — quali¬ 
ties  which  go  without  saying,  not  possessed  by  any  method  of 
typographic  photo-engraving.  What  is  known  as  the  photo¬ 
gelatine  process  also  produces  results  superior  to  the  type 
method.  But,  although  photo-gelatine  work  has  a  quality  of 
its  own,  and  is  in  some  respects  unexcelled,  photo-gravure,  in 
other  respects,  has  advantages  over  it.  A  photo-gravure  can 
be  improved  and  altered  as  much  as  may  be  desired  after  the 
plate  is  made  till  just  the  result  needed  is  obtained,  and  when 
obtained  the  printing  ceases  to  be  a  source  of  anxiety,  as  the 
edition  printed  should  always  be  uniform.  The  plate  is  good 
for  subsequent  editions— which  are  exactly  like  the  first— 
whenever  desired,  and  they  are  made  without  the  further 
action  of  light.  There  is  a  strength  and  robustness,  and  the 
blacks  are  more  nearly  velvet  in  a  good  photo-gravure  plate 
than  in  any  other  photographic  method.  And  there  is  room 
for  far  greater  artistic  development  in  plioto-gravure  than  in 
any  other  photographic  method.  1  cannot  forbear  in  this  con¬ 
nection  from  adverting  to  an  unfortunate  tendency  that  exists 
among  some  manufacturers  and  some  publishers  to  call  photo- 
gelatine  work  by  the  name  of  photo-gravure.  What  is  the 
sense  of  this  ?  Nothing  in  the  world  can  beat  the  special  qual¬ 
ities  of  gelatine  printing — qualities  which  photo  gravures  do 
not  possess.  And  nothing  in  the  world  can  beat  the  special 
qualities  of  photo-gravures— qualities  which  photo-gelatine 
prints  do  not  possess.  To  my  mind  it  is  as  much  an  outrage 
on  photo-gelatine  as  on  plioto-gravure  work  to  reverse  the 
names.  Tet  the  tendency  is  to  do  just  this  thing — a  serious 
mistake  that  will  become,  if  not  checked,  a  serious  misfortune. 
Would  there  be  any  sense  in  calling  a  lithograph  a  steel-en¬ 
graving  ?  It  would  be  just  about  the  same  as  calling  a  photo¬ 
gelatine  print  a  photo-gravure,  and,  though  the  result  might 


204 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


benefit  the  producer  for  the  moment,  it  would  be  otherwise 
when  the  deception  was  discovered. 

“  In  going  through  all  the  ancient,  yet  modern,  history  of  the 
development  of  plioto-gravure,  one  can  but  ask  that  old,  old 
question,  ‘  What  is  there  new  under  the  sun  V 

“With  the  story  before  us  of  Fox-Talbot’s  process  and  the 
process  of  Pretcli,  of  Woodbury’s  process,  and  of  aquatint 
engraving,  of  steel-facing,  and  all  the  other  tricks  and  turns, 
what  is  there  new  in  what  we  are  doing  to-day  ?  Nothing, 
absolutely  nothing.  These  men  played  the  same  play  that  we 
are  playing,  knew  the  words  and  the  cues  just  as  well  as  we  do, 
only  in  one  respect,  one  grand  respect,  is  the  situation  changed. 
They  played  to  empty  benches.  W e  have  an  audience — largely 
in  this  vast  new  world — an  audience  ready  to  applaud  and  to 
support  all  those  results  and  efforts  which  tend  to  raise  photog¬ 
raphy  into  art.” 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


205 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


VARIOUS  METHODS  FOR  PUTTING  PICTURES  ON  BLOCKS  AND  METAL  PLATES 
FOR  THE  USE  OF  THE  ENGRAVER. 


Although  plioto-mechanical  methods  have  made  great 
advances  within  the  last  few  years,  the  results  obtained  by 
them  remain  still  vastly  inferior  to  those  obtained  by  the  older 
method  of  hand  engraving.  Ho  photo-chemigraphic  method 
has  yet  been  made  public  which  will  give  a  good  rendering  to 
subjects  in  half-tone.  There  are  several  secret  processes  which 
give  good  results,  but  doubtless  much  of  their  excellence  is 
due  to  skillful  touching  up  of  the  plate  with  the  graver. 

A  plate  produced  by  any  of  the  photo-mechanical  meth¬ 
ods  is  necessarily  lacking  in  that  subtle  interpretation  of  nature 
in  various  moods,  which  gives  charm  and  value  to  a  good  im¬ 
pression  from  a  hand-made  block. 

While  photo- engraving  methods  will  probably  always  be  de¬ 
ficient  in  this  all-important  quality,  photography  itself  can  ren¬ 
der  great  assistance  in  transferring  to  the  block  or  metal  plate 
accurately  reduced  or  enlarged  copies  of  any  subject,  leaving 
the  artist  free  to  interpret  the  subject  in  his  own  fashion. 

The  methods  given  below  are  those  which  have  been  ap¬ 
proved  by  practical  operators;  they  may,  therefore,  be  em¬ 
ployed  with  perfect  confidence.  They  all  belong  to  that  class 
of  methods  to  which  the  name  autographic  has  been  given. 

Good  Rives  paper  sized  with  gelatine  is  floated  for  three 
minutes  on  the  following  solution,  taking  great  care  to  remove 
all  air  bubbles,  as  these  will  produce  white  spots  in  the  devel¬ 
oped  print  : 


Water, 

Gelatine, 

Isinglass, 

Bichromate  of  potassium, 


34  ounces. 
4|  ounces. 
1  ounce. 
231  grains. 


After  floating,  the  paper  is  carefully  removed  from  the  bath 
and  dried  on  a  slightly  inclined  piece  of  wood  or  glass.  The 
floating  and  drying  must  be  done  by  yellow  light. 


206 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


As  soon  as  the  paper  is  dry  it  is  exposed  under  a  negative  or 
a  positive,  the  former  for  proofs  in  black  on  a  white  ground ; 
the  latter  for  prints  in  white  on  a  black  ground.  * 

The  time  of  exposure  varies  from  two  to  ten  minutes,  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  density  of  the  negative  and  the  strength  of  the 
light. 

After  exposure  the  print  is  soaked  in  cold  water  until  all 
yellowness  has  disappeared ;  it  is  then  placed  on  a  piece  of 
glass,  and  inked  with  a  soft  roller  charged  with  lithographic 
transfer  ink. 

When  all  the  details  are  well  out,  the  image  is  copied  on 
wood,  glass,  or  metal,  in  a  lithographic  press,  the  paper  hear¬ 
ing  the  image  having  been  previously  placed  face  down  on  the 
block.  After  the  impression  is  made  on  the  block  it  is  lightly 
washed  with  a  sponge  dipped  in  acidulated  water,  and  when 
dry  it  is  ready  for  the  engraver.  * 

The  Asphaltum  Method. 

The  block  or  plate  to  be  engraved  is  coated  evenly  with  the 
following  solution  : 

Benzine,  .....  17  ounces. 

Asphaltum  (oriental),  ....  308  grains. 

When  the  block  is  dry  it  is  exposed  under  a  negative  or 
positive  twenty  minutes  in  full  sunlight,  or  one  hour  in  dif¬ 
fused  light.  The  image  is  developed  in  turpentine,  and  when 
fully  developed  the  plate  is  washed  under  a  tap  and  allowed  to 
dry  spontaneously.  It  is  then  ready  for  engraving. 

Copying  Maps,  Plans,  Etc.,  Without  a  Camera. 

When  tracings,  maps,  etc.,  are  to  be  copied  on  the  same 
scale,  the  method  introduced  by  M.  Vidal  in  1883  can  be  used 
to  advantage.  The  engraving  or  other  object  to  be  copied  is 
immersed  for  twenty  minutes  in  the  following  bath  : 

Distilled  water,  -  -  -  -  -  34  ounces. 

Caustic  potash  (pure),  ....  154  grains. 

Alcohol,  -  -  -  -  -  -  13  drams. 

Acitate  of  soda,  .....  771  grains. 

After  immersion  the  paper  is  carefully  withdrawn  from  the 
bath  and  placed  on  a  piece  of  glass  covered  with  a  coating  of 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


207 

plaster-paris  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  As 
soon  as  the  surface  moisture  has  evaporated,  turpentine  in  suf¬ 
ficient  quantity  to  form  a  thin  layer  is  rapidly  poured  over  the 
paper  and  allowed  to  dry  partially.  The  picture  is  then  inked 
with  a  velvet  roller  charged  with  lithographic  ink.  The  ink¬ 
ing  is  to  be  continued  until  all  the  lines  appear  black  by 
reflected  light.  The  print  is  then  allowed  to  dry  for  fifteen 
minutes,  when  it  is  ready  for  the  impression  on  the  block  in 
the  press  as  described  above.  The  impressed  block  can  be 
engraved  as  usual. 

A  very  easy  method  of  preparing  metal  plates  for  the 
engraver  is  to  flow  iodized  collodion  over  them  and  expose 
them  in  the  camera  in  the  ordinary  wet  plate  holder. 


The  Collodion. 


Alcohol 

Ether, 

Iodide  of  ammonium, 
Iodide  of  cadmium, 
Bromide  of  cadmium, 
Azotic  cotton, 


16  ounces. 
16  ounces. 
62  grains, 
46  grains. 
15  grains. 
123  grains. 


The  cotton,  the  iodides,  and  the  bromide  are  first  dissolved 
in  the  alcohol  and  the  ether  added  when  solution  is  complete. 
The  collodion  must  be  at  least  one  day  old  before  it  is  used, 
and  should  be  decanted  just  before  the  plates  are  flowed. 


Preparing  the  Metal  Plates. 


Before  collodionizing,  the  plates  should  be  varnished  with  a 
black  engraving  varnish,  such  as  the  following  : 


Virgin  wax, 
Amber, 
Mastic, 
B,esin, 

Black  pitch, 
Turpentine, 


15^  drams. 
15J^  drams. 
1534  drams. 
1%  drams. 
734  drams. 
3Jg  drams. 


When  the  varnish  is  dry  the  collodion  is  flowed  over  the 
metal  plate  just  as  a  glass  plate  is  flowed.  Exposure  in  the 
camera  follows,  and  development  is  effected  by  pouring  over 
the  surface  of  the  plate  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  following 
solution  : 


208 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


Water, 

Sulphate  of  iron, 
Acetic  acid, 
Alcohol, 

Sulphuric  acid,  - 


34  ounces. 
617  grains. 
7T70  drams. 
7T70  drams. 
ly1^  drams. 


The  developer  is  allowed  to  act  until  all  the  details  are  well 
out.  The  plate  is  then  washed  and  fixed  by  flowing  over  it 
sufficient  of  the  following  bath  : 


Water,  -  -  -  -  34  ounces. 

Cyanide  of  potassium,  ...  462  grains. 

The  plate  is  ready  for  the  engraver  as  soon  as  it  is  washed 
and  dried. 

The  author  finds  that  the  gelatine  emulsion  given  in  a  pre¬ 
vious  chapter  for  bromide  of  silver  paper  is  well  adapted  for 
this  process,  applying  a  very  thin  film  to  the  plate. 


Photographing  on  Wood. — Frewing’s  Method. 

Preliminary  P reparation  of  the  Block. 

The  block  is  first  coated  with  the  following : — 

Gelatine,  ------  2  drams. 

White  soap,  -  2  drams. 

Water,  -  -  -  -  -  -  16  ounces. 

The  gelatine  is  to  be  soaked  for  some  hours,  and  then  dis¬ 
solved  in  a  water  bath.  The  soap  is  added  in  thin  shavings, 
and  the  mixture  well  stirred  with  a  glass  rod  ;  after  which 
powdered  alum  is  added  until  the  frothiness  disappears.  The 
solution  is  then  strained  through  muslin.  Coat  the  face  of 
the  block  with  this  mixture  and  a  little  zinc  white,  giving  it  a 
very  thin  coating.  Rub  it  in  well  and  evenly,  and  set  aside  to 
dry. 

When  dry  the  block  is  again  coated  with  the  following  mix¬ 
ture,  using  a  wide  camel’ s-hair  brush,  and  applying  the  solu¬ 
tion  with  one  sweep  of  the  brush  from  end  to  end : — 

Albumen,  -  -  -  -  -  .1  ounce. 

Water,  ......  5  drams. 

Sal  ammoniac,  .....  18  grains. 

Citric  acid,  .....  5  grains. 

Beat  the  albumen  to  a  froth,  and  allow  it  to  settle  ;  use  only 
the  clear  part.  Then  add  the  sal  ammoniac,  stirring  well  with 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


209 


a  glass  rod,  and  finally  the  citric  acid.  Coat  the  block  and 
when  dry  sensitize  with  the  following  solution 


Nitrate  of  silver, 
Water,  distilled, 


50  grains. 
1  ounce. 


Pour  a  small  quantity  on  the  block,  and  spread  it  evenly 
with  a  glass  rod,  any  surplus  being  preserved  for  use  again 
atter  filtering.  When  dry,  print  under  a  reversed  negative. 

Over-printing  is  not  necessary,  as  the  print  does  not  lose  in 
finishing.  After  printing,  hold  the  block,  face  down,  in  a 
strong  chloride  of  sodium  solution  for  three  minutes.  The 
picture  will  fade  slightly  in  this  bath,  but  as  the  fixing-bath 
wi  1  filing  back  all  the  detail,  this  is  of  no  consequence. 

Wash  the  block  well  under  a  spray  of  water,  and  fix  by 
holding  face  down  in  a  saturated  solution  of  hypo  for  five 
minutes.  Then  wash  for  ten  minutes  under  a  spray,  and  set 
on  end  to  dry.  The  block  is  then  ready  for  the  engraver. 
The  image  may  be  toned  by  any  of  the  usual  methods. & 


Ives’  Method. 

Whiten  the  block  by  putting  on  two  or  three  drops  of  thick 
salted  albumen;  then  sprinkling  on  a  little  pure  white  lead 
and  spreading  and  mixing  them  with  the  ball  of  the  hand  until 
the  coatiag  is  thin,  smooth,  and  even.  Set  the  block  on  end 
to  dry.  Then  polish  with  a  brush,  and  sensitize  by  covering 
the  surface  for  two  minutes  with  a  sixty-grain  solution  of  silver 
nitrate.  Rub  off  with  a  blotter,  and  again  set  on  end  to  dry. 
Then  fume  twenty  minutes  with  ammonia,  and  expose  under 
a  reversed  negative.  When  sufficiently  printed,  wash  thirty 
seconds  in  running  water,  and  tone  and  fix  in  a  1  to  6  hypo-' 
sulphite  of  soda  solution,  to  which  has  been  added  a  pinch  of 
carbonate  of  soda  and  a  little  chloride  of  gold.  The  block 
should  be  kept  face  down  in  this  solution  for  twenty  minutes, 
and  then  well  washed  and  set  on  end  to  dry.  It  is  then  ready 
for  the  engraver.  J 

There  seems  to  be  little  choice  between  these  two  methods, 
both  being  equally  simple,  and  both  leaving  the  block  in  good 
condition  for  the  graver’s  tool. 


210 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

RECOVERY  OF  SILVER  FROM  PHOTOGRAPHIC  WASTES,  PREPARATION  OF  SIL¬ 
VER  NITRATE,  Etc. 

The  photographic  practitioner  will  do  well  to  save  his  wastes 
for  treatment  for  the  recovery  of  the  silver  and  gold  contained 
in  them.  Only  an  exceedingly  small  portion  of  the  silver  and 
gold  used  in  the  various  operations  appears  in  the  finished 
negative  or  print.  The  remainder  is  dissolved  out  in  the  fix¬ 
ing  hath,  washing  water,  etc.  These  should  therefore  be 
placed  in  a  convenient  vessel  and  treated  with  zinc  to  precipi¬ 
tate  the  silver. 

No  process  of  recovery  is  simpler  or  more  effective  than  Dr. 
Stolze’s  method  with  hypo  and  zinc. 

The  following  description  of  the  process  is  taken  from  the 
Photographic  Times : 

“  Chloride,  iodide,  and  bromide  of  silver  are  the  salts  we 
find  in  photographic  wastes,  either  when  in  a  pure  state  or 
mixed  with  others,  frequently  soluble  salts.  One  of  the  best 
methods  to  reduce  them  metallically  is  to  dissolve  them  first  in 
a  saturated  solution  of  hyposulphite  of  soda,  diluted  with  one 
or  two  volumes  of  water,  and  subject  the  solution  to  the  fol¬ 
lowing  process : 

“  Silver  haloids  in  substance  require  simply  to  be  dissolved, 
but  when  in  emulsions,  like  residues  in  bottles,  or  failures  in 
preparing  them,  the  emulsion  should  first  be  reduced  to  shreds 
or  nodules,  and  then  thrown  into  the  fixing  bath  till  they  have 
become  semi-transparent,  when  the  solution  is  squeezed  from 
them,  and  the  residue  again  subjected  to  the  hypo  bath.  Very 
old  emulsion,  the  viscosity  of  which  has  been  partly  or  totally 
destroyed,  must  be  solidified  by  slightly  warming,  and  mixing 
with  it  a  sufficient  quantity  of  a  five  per  cent,  solution  of 
chrome  alum. 

“When  all  the  silver  has  been  dissolved,  narrow  strips  of 
sheet  zinc,  previously  cleaned  with  muriatic  acid  and  well 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


211 


washed  with  water,  are  placed  in  the  solution.  There  is  no 
absolute  necessity  of  cleaning  the  zinc,  still  its  pure  metallic 
surface,  freed  from  cuticles  of  oxide,  accelerates  the  reduction 
of  silver  very  considerably.  When  a  number  of  zinc  strips  are 
suspended  on  different  parts  of  the  vessel  holding  the  solution 
a  thorough  reduction  of  the  silver  is  effected  in  about  forty- 
eight  hours,  but  sometimes  it  will  take  longer  time.  The  con¬ 
tents  of  the  vessel  should  be  stirred  up  frequently.  A  coarse 
black  deposit  settles  upon  the  bottom  of  the  vessel  and  the 
strips  of  zmc,  from  which  it  must  be  brushed  occasionally,  to 
allow  more  of  it  to  precipitate.  The  precipitate  consists’  of 
metallic  silver,  zinc,  and  some  sulphide  of  silver,  and  before  it 
is  subjected  to  further  operations  it  must  be  well  washed  in 

water— an  easy  matter  on  account  of  its  coarseness  and 
gravity. 

Old  fixing  baths,  accumulating  in  the  photographer’s  labor¬ 
atory,  may  be  utilized  for  the  dissolving  of  emulsion  remnants  or 
haloids  in  substance,  as  long  as  they  possess  the  power  to  do 

so.  When  perfectly  well  saturated,  a  little  fresh  hyposulphite 
solution  may  be  added. 

The  clear  liquid,  from  which  the  precipitate  has  been  re¬ 
moved,  still  contains  traces  of  silver,  which  will  be  separated 
by  heating.  This  amount  of  silver  is  insignificant  if  the  opera¬ 
tion  has  been  conducted  with  care ;  and  if  the  zinc  has  re¬ 
mained  in  contact  with  the  solution  for  about  two  days,  it  it  so 
small  that  it  can  scarcely  be  detected  by  reagents. 

“  The  washed  precipitate  can  then  be  dissolved  in  nitric  acid, 
diluted  with  half  its  volume  of  water.  The  substance  is  not 
dissolved  totally,  and  a  black  residue  remains,  consisting  partly 
of  impurities  of  the  zinc,  of  chloride  of  silver  (the  consequence 
of  impure  nitric  acid),  or  of  gold,  and  should,  therefore,  be 
treated  separately  with  aqua  regia  for  its  recovery. 

“  Tlie  filtered  solution  of  impure  and  acid  nitrate  of  silver 
is  then  precipitated  with  a  strong  solution  of  common  washing 
soda,  as  long  as  carbonate  of  silver  is  forming.  An  excess  of 
soda  is  not  important. 

“By  repeated  decantation  and  changes  of  distilled  water, 
the  precipitate  is  washed  to  perfection  and  then  dissolved  in 
chemically  pure  nitric  acid.  To  avoid  an  excess  of  acid  in  the 


212 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


solution,  great  care  must  be  observed  ;  some  of  the  carbonate 
of  silver  remaining  undissolved  is  a  guard  against  undue  acid¬ 
ity.  A  more  convenient  plan  would  be  to  divide  the  precipi¬ 
tate,  acid  being  added  to  four-fifths  of  it,  till  all  effervescence 
lias  ceased.  A  decidedly  acid  solution  will  be  the  result,  which 
may  be  neutralized  by  adding  gradually  small  portions  of  the 
fifth  part  of  the  precipitate  of  carbonate  of  silver.  By  care¬ 
fully  adding  diluted  nitric  acid,  when  necessary,  and  carbonate 
again,  an  absolutely  neutral  solution  can  be  obtained,  which 
consists  of  chemically  pure  nitrate  of  silver. 

“  By  reducing  the  product  to  about  ten  per  cent,  and  a  slight 
acidulation,  it  can  be  used  as  a  negative  bath,  or  as  a  positive 
printing  solution,  by  giving  it  alkalinity  with  carbonate  of 
soda. 

“  To  evaporate  the  result  to  crystallization,  or  to  fuse  the 
nitrate  of  silver  obtained,  is  useless ;  neither  of  the  operations 
can  improve  it,  and  would  incur  only  a  waste  of  time  and 
labor. 

“A  great  part  of  the  silver  waste,  not  soluble  in  hyposul¬ 
phite  of  soda,  comes  from  paper.  Unfixed  prints  when  not 
toned,  had  better  be  fixed,  and  the  remnant  be  refused.  The 
exceedingly  small  quantity  of  reduced  silver,  contained  in  them 
pays  neither  the  cost  of  incineration  nor  refining.  It  is  differ¬ 
ent  with  toned  pictures,  where  gold  and  silver  combined  may 
still  give  returns  sufficient  to  exceed  the  cost  of  labor  and 
time. 

“  The  main  condition  in  doing  this  is  to  incinerate  the  paper, 
which  is  quite  a  difficult  piece  of  work.  If  the  draft  of  the 
furnace  is  not  strong  enough,  the  combustion  of  the  paper  is 
not  thorough,  and  large  masses  of  carbon  remain,  which  make 
the  reduction  of  the  metal  a  difficult  operation ;  and  if  too 
strong,  a  great  part  of  the  paper  will  go  up  the  chimney.  A 
better  method  is  to  soak  all  the  paper  in  a  concentrated  solution 
of  saltpeter  at  a  temperature  of  100  deg.  Fahr.  The  well-impreg¬ 
nated  paper  burns  well,  after  being  dried  ;  it  needs  no  draft, 
and  it  can  be  consumed  in  an  open  vessel,  where  it  burns  with¬ 
out  flame,  glimmering  away  into  ashes.  Macerating  the  ashes 
in  a  five  per  cent,  solution  of  sulphuric  acid  will  dissolve  the 
greatest  part  of  foreign  salts,  leaving  a  residue  of  pure  metallic 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS.  213 

y 

silver,  soluble  in  nitric  acid.  The  presence  of  gold  will  be  indi¬ 
cated  by  a  black  powder,  remaining  after  dissolution,  which 
can  be  worked  up  with  nitro-muriatic  acid.  The  acid  silver 
solution  when  treated  with  carbonate  of  soda,  as  described 
above,  will  give  the  same  results. 

“  Tlle  metllod  g^en  is  evidently  cheaper  and  more  reliable 
than  the  one  generally  resorted  to  by  photographers,'  that  is, 
y  refining  the  ashes.  If  they  contain  much  ashes  a  large 
quantity  of  saltpeter  must  be  added  with  the  flux,  and  no  mat¬ 
ter  how  high  the  temperature  of  melting  will  be,  some  silver 
remains  unreduced.  Another  part  of  it  remains  suspended 
m  the  flux,  and  sinks  into  the  mass  of  the  crucible.  In  large 
refineries,  flux  and  crucibles  are  crushed,  roasted  and  worked 
over  again.  To  the  photographer  the  other  method  is  without 
doubt  more  profitable,  as  with  it  but  a  trifling  loss  of  the  prec¬ 
ious  metal  can  occur. 

“To  regain  silver  from  the  washings  of  albumen  prints, 
most  photographers  use  salt  as  a  precipitant.  This  is  quite 
correct  so  long  as  an  excess  of  salt  is  avoided.  Chloride  of 
silver  being  soluble  in  chloride  of  sodium  it  happens  invariably 
with  careless  operators  that  a  part  of  the  valuable  and  redis¬ 
solved  silver  precipitate  is  thrown  away.  Hydrochloric  acid 
is  preferable,  for  with  it  the  danger  of  too  much  salt  is  out  of 
the  question.  Still  better  is  the  precipitation  with  carbonate 
of  soda,  and  a  repetition  of  the  process  as  described. 

“ When  the  Photographic  papers  have  been  salted  with 
chloride  of  ammonium  instead  of  with  chloride  of  sodium,  the 
nitrate  of  ammonia  formed  during  the  silvering  of  the  paper 
partly  prevents  the  formation  of  carbonate  of  silver.  In  such 
cases  the  supernaturally  clear  liquid  should  be  again  tested  for 
silver,  and  eventually  be  reprecipitated. 

“Kemnants  of  emulsions  can  be  liquified  by  hydrochloric 
or  sulphuric  acid,  from  which,  after  proper  dilution,  the  silver 
bromide  will  precipitate,  in  which  state  it  may  be  dissolved  in 
hypo  at  once. 

“  With  all  these  methods,  time  and  attention  must  be  given 
to  the  work;  precipitations  must  be  perfect,  the  clear  waters 
being  removed  carefully,  and  the  deposits  washed  thoroughly. 

In  comparison  with  the  older  modes  of  working,  those  which 


214  PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 

I  have  here  described  will  be  found  to  be  far  more  reliable  and 
economical.” 

Platinum  Residues. 

Old  developing  solutions  and  acid  baths  containing  platinum 
are  placed  in  any  convenient  receptacle.  Strips  of  sheet  zinc 
are  then  suspended  in  the  liquid.  After  three  or  four  days  a 
black  precipitate  containing  platinum  will  deposit  on  the  bot¬ 
tom  of  the  vessel.  When  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  precipi¬ 
tate  has  deposited,  the  liquid  is  poured  off,  the  precipitate 
dried  and  sent  to  the  refiner. 

Preparation  of  Silver  Nitrate. 

Dissolve  an  old-fashioned  silver  dollar  in  nitric  acid  with 
gentle  heat,  and  evaporate  until  crystals  are  formed.  Wash 
the  crystals  on  filter  paper  with  dilute  nitric  acid,  redissolve 
in  water,  and  again  evaporate  to  dryness.  The  resulting  crys¬ 
tals  may  be  used  for  the  sensitizing  bath.  If  adulteration  with 
copper  be  suspected,  the  aqueous  solution  must  be  treated  with 
silver  oxide  before  evaporation. 

The  silver  oxide  is  added  in  small  quantities,  until  the  blue 
or  greenish  color,  due  to  the  presence  of  copper,  disappears. 
The  copper  will  precipitate  as  a  black  powder,  carrying  with  it 
all  excess  of  silver  oxide.  To  test  the  completeness  of  the 
substitution  of  silver  for  copper,  place  two  or  three  drops  of 
the  solution  in  a  glass  measure,  add  a  dram  of  water,  and  then 
add  ammonia  drop  by  drop  until  the  resulting  precipitate  is 
redissolved.  If  no  blue  color  is  apparent  the  substitution  is 
complete ;  if  not,  more  silver  oxide  must  be  added. 

When  the  substitution  of  silver  for  copper  is  completed,  the 
solution  is  decanted  and  filtered.  It  is  then  tested  with  the 
hydrometer  and  distilled  water  added,  if  necessary,  to  give  the 
proper  strength. 

Preparation  of  Gold  Chloride. 

Bend  a  quarter-eagle  gold  piece,  and  place  it  in  a  wide¬ 
mouthed  bottle ;  then  mix  one  dram  of  nitric  acid  with  live 
drams  of  hydrochloric  acid,  and  add  about  three  drams  of  this 
mixture  to  the  gold  in  the  flask.  Place  the  flask  in  the  sun 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


215 


until  the  gold  is  nearly  all  dissolved,  occasionally  shaking  it. 
Then  pour  the  clear  liquid  into  a  fifteen-ounce  bottle,  add  a 
little  more  of  the  mixed  acids  to  the  gold,  and  when  the  latter 
is  dissolved,  pour  the  clear  liquid  into  the  fifteen-ounce  bottle, 
adding  to  the  liquid  remaining  in  the  flask  eight  or  ten  ounces 
of  water.  Shake  well,  and  allow  the  white  deposit,  chloride  of 
gold,  to  settle. 

While  this  is  taking  place,  add  gradually  to  the  contents  of 
the  fifteen-ounce  bottle  small  lumps  of  common  whiting,  until 
effervescence  ceases,  an  indication  that  all  the  acid  has  been 
neutralized.  Now  add  the  water  in  the  flask,  and  make  up  to 
fifteen  ounces.  This  will  give  a  slightly  acid  solution  which 
will  keep  indefinitely  if  kept  in  darkness. 

The  solution  contains  one  grain  of  gold  to  each  dram  of 
water. 


Encaustic  Paste. — {Dr.  Eder's.) 

White  wax- . 28  drams. 

Gum  dammar  varnish,  -  .  .  \  dram 

Rectified  essence  of  turpentine,  -  -  28  drams 

This  paste  is  to  be  kept  in  a  well-stoppered  bottle  and  thinned 
with  turpentine  whenever  it  thickens. 

To  use,  apply  it  to  the  mounted  print  with  a  flannel  and  pol¬ 
ish  with  a  dry  flannel.  The  paste  gives  a  fine  gloss  and  adds 
very  much  to  the  brilliancy  of  the  prints. 

Enamelling  Albumen  Prints. 

Patent  plates  of  the  required  size  are  thoroughly  cleaned, 
polished  with  finely  powdered  French  chalk,  and  coated  with 
plain  collodion  containing  1  to  1^  per  cent,  of  azotic  gun  cotton 
and  a  little  castor  oil. 

The  following  formula  will  answer : 

Azotic  gun  cotton,  -  .  -  -  120  grains. 

Methylated  alcohol . 10  ounces. 

Methylated  ether  sulph.,  -  .  .  -  10  ounces. 

Castoroil- . 20  drops. 

These  plates  will  keep  indefinitely,  and  may  be  made  in 
quantity,  and  stored  in  dust-proof  boxes  in  a  dry  place. 


216 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  PRINTING  METHODS. 


When  readj  to  enamel  the  prints,  a  sufficient  number  of  plates 
are  washed  in  water  until  all  greasiness  disappears.  One  of  the 
washed  plates  is  placed  collodion-side  uppermost,  in  a  dish  filled 
with  cold  water.  The  print,  previously  soaked  in  cold  water 
is  placed  face  down  upon  the  plate,  the  print  and  plate  are 
then  raised  from  the  water,  raising  one  end  first.  They  are 
then  placed  between  blotters,  and  all  excess  of  moisture  re¬ 
moved  with  the  squeegee.  Print  and  glass  are  now  set  aside  to 
dry.  When  dry  the  print  will  leave  the  glass. 


I  N  DEX. 


_  -r.ttO.ti 

^/^CTION  of  Light  on  Sensitive 

Compounds .  12 

Ammonia-Nitrate  of  Silver  Bath,  The,  28 

Floating  the  Paper  on .  28 

Time  of  Floating .  28 

Asphaltum  Method  of  Printing  on 

Blocks  or  Metals .  207 

Autographic  Methods .  205 

Sensitizing .  205 

Exposure .  205 

Inking . 205 

Printing .  206 


gLUE  PRINTS . 

Collachi's  Methods  for  Making. 
Pizzeghilli’s  Method  “ 

Poitivin’s  “  “ 


22 

22 

22 

23 


Bromide  Enlargements,  Finishing  on,  119 

Crayon  Finishing .  120 

Pastel  “  .  12i 

Water  Color  and  Indian  Ink  Fin¬ 
ishing  . 

Bromide  of  Silver  Emulsion,  Printing 

with . 

Coating. . .  ., . 

Other  Methods  of  Coating  . 

How  to  Use  the  Apparatus  for 

Coating . 

Exposure .  73 

Development .  73 

Eastman’s  Developer. .  73 

Clearing  Solution .  73 

Fixing  Bath .  74 

The  Use  of  Bromide  as  a  Re¬ 
strainer .  74 

Enamelling .  75 


121 

66 

67 

69 

71 


PAGE 


Another  Method  of  Enamelling,  75 

Flexible  Prints .  76 

Straightening  Unmounted  Prints.  76 

How  to  get  Black  Tones  like 

Platinum .  73 

Sepia  Tones  .  73 

Ferrous-Citro  Oxalate  Developer  77 

Preserving  the  Ferrous  Oxalate 

Developer .  77 

Hints .  77 

Treating  the  Prints  with  Plati¬ 
num .  73 

Bromide  Prints  for  Photo-Mechanical 
Engraving .  79 


r^ARBON  PRINTING. .  93 

Negatives  Suitable  for .  96 

Reversed  negatives  for .  97 

Drying  the  Sensitized  Tissue. ...  97 

Developing  Trays  .  98 

Formulas  for  Single  and  Double 

Transfers .  98 

Pigment  Solutions .  99 

Printing . 100 

Development .  100 

Single  Transfers .  100 

Double  “  ioi 

Printing  from  ordinary  negatives 

without  transfers .  102 

Continuing  Action  of  Light  in.  . .  103 

Failures  in .  103 

Collodio-Chloride  Process,  The .  86 

Coating  the  Paper .  87 

Toning .  88 

Collotype,  The .  193 

Preliminary  Coating .  197 


1 


218 


INDEX. 


PAGE 


The  Sensitive  Film .  197 

Exposure .  197 

Etching  the  Plate .  197 

Inking .  197 

Copying  Cameras .  119 

Copying  Maps,  Plans,  etc.,  Without  a 
Camera .  206 


EFECTS  IN  SILVER  PRINTS, 

How  to  Overcome .  39 

Marbled  and  Streaking .  39 

Clear  on  the  Surface,  but  Streaky 
when  examined  by  transmitted 

light .  39 

Cold  and  Faded  Appearance .  40 

Spots  on  surface .  40 

High-Lights,  Yellow .  40 

Intense  Bronzing  of  Shadows  du¬ 
ring  Printing .  40 

Yellow  Spots  on  Surface  or  Back  40 

Mealiness . : .  40 

Refusing  to  Tone .  40 


■pj*  NLARGING . 109 

Negatives  for .  109 

The  Light  for .  109 

The  Apparatus  for .  109 

An  Ordinary  Camera  for .  109 

An  Improvised  Apparatus  for.. .  .  Ill 
The  Eastman  Apparatus  for.  . . .  112 
An  easily  constructed  Apparatus 

for .  .  114 

Apparatus  for  Electric  Light. . . .  115 

With  the  Oil  Lantern .  116 

Enlargments,  Table  for .  118 

On  Opal  Glass . ' . 121 

On  Canvas .  122 

By  the  Powder  Process .  122 

On  Canvas  in  the  Solar  Camera.  123 
In  the  Solar  Camera  by  Develop¬ 
ment .  124 

Platinum  in  the  Solar  Camera. . .  125 

From  Enlarged  Negatives .  128 

Carbon .  128 

By  the  Collodion  Transfer  Process  129 


PACE 

By  the  Photo-Crayon  Process.  . . .  130 

Enamelling  Albumen  Prints .  215 

Enamelled  Intaglios,  the  Process  for 
Making .  188 


ABRICS,  Printing  on,  by  the  Car¬ 


bon  Process .  108 

Ferric  Oxalate,  Preparation  of .  56 

Fixing  Bath,  The .  47 

Its  Purpose .  47 

Its  Composition .  48 

How  Long  to  Fix .  48 

Maxims  for  Fixing .  48 

Fuming .  33 

Time  of .  33 


ELATINO-BROMIDE  EMUL- 

sion,  Printing  with . 

Apparatus . 

Gelatino-Chloride  Paper,  Printing  on 

The  Emulsion . 

Development . 

Wellington’s  Method  with  Citric 

Acid . 

Eder’s  Method. . . .  • . 

Ferrous  Nitrate  Developer  for.  . . 
Gelatino-Chloride  Printing-out  Paper 
J.  Barker’s  Method  for  Printing 

on . 

Printing,  Toning  and  Fixing  on . . 

Gelatinized  Paper,  Printing  on . 

Gold  Chloride,  Preparation  of . 


65 

65 

82 

82 

82 

83 

84 

85 

85 

86 
86 
53 

214 


RON  COMPOUNDS,  Printing 

with .  17 

The  Law  of .  17 

Two  Methods  of .  17 

Method  for  Obtaining  Blue  Prints  17 
“  11  “  Purple  Image  18 

Methods"  “  Other  Tones  18 

Points  to  be  attended  to  in .  18 

Various  Formulas .  18 

To  Sensitize  Paper  for  Blue  Prints  20 


INDEX. 


219 


PAGE 

To  Deepen  the  Color  of  Blue _  20 

To  Give  Blue  Prints  a  Green  Tone  20 

To  Give  Blue  Prints  a  Brownish 

Tone . '  21 

To  Give  Blue  Prints  Sepia  Tones  21 
To  Give  Blue  Prints  Lilac  Tones  21 
To  Make  Black  Lines  on  a  White 
Ground .  23 


O  PAL  PRINTING .  160 

The  Emulsion .  160 

Coating .  160 

Printing .  161 

By  the  Powder  Process .  161 


T  ANTERN  SLIDES .  142 

On  Wet  Plates .  142 

Coloring .  148 

Leatherized  Paper,  Printing  on .  58 

Linen,  Printing  on .  105 

Sizing  Solution .  105 

Salting  Solution .  105 


jyjECHANICAL  PRINTING  ...  190 

The  Metal  Plates  for .  190 

The  Positives  and  Negatives  for.  .  191 

Intensifying .  191 

The  Metal  Plate .  192 

Sensitizing  Mixtures .  193 

Coating  the  Plate .  193 

The  Exposure .  194 

Development .  194 

Clausintzer’s  Method  of  Develop¬ 
ing .  194 

The  Etching .  I94 

Hardening  the  Plate .  196 

Mr.  Riley’s  Method  for  Amateurs  198 
Ives’  Method  of  Graining  Typo¬ 
graphic  Plates  for .  199 

The  Meisenbach  Method .  200 


The  Photo-lithographic  and  Pho¬ 


to-gravure  Methods .  200 

Mounting .  90 

The  Card  Mount  for .  90 

Placing  the  Print  in  Position. ...  90 

Treatment  of  the  Prints  before.. .  91 

Medium  for .  91 

W.  J.  Stillman’s  Mountant .  92 

In  Optical  Contact  with  Glass.  . .  92 

On  Plate  Paper .  94 

Enlargements  on  Cloth .  117 


pASTE,  Encaustic . 215 

Photo-ceramics .  165 

The  Apparatus .  165 

The  Negatives .  .  167 

Formulas  for  the  Collodion .  168 

Sensitizing  Bath .  168 

Developer .  168 

Intensifier .  168 

Fixing .  167 

Stripping  the  Films .  169 

The  Firing  or  Burning-in .  171 

Retouching .  172 

Stock  Mixtures  for .  173 

Practical  Manipulation . 175 

Pavlowsky’s  Method  with  Pig¬ 
ment  Paper .  175 

Husnick’s  Methods .  176 

Liesegang’s  Dusting-in  Method..  176 
Watson’s  Substitution  Method. . .  179 

Photo-gravures . 200 

The  Process  for  Making . 201 

Graining .  202 

Etching .  202 

Advantages  of .  203 

Photographing  on  Wood  by  Frewing’s 

Method .  208 

Photographing  on  Wood  by  Ives’ 

Method .  209 

Plain  Paper,  Printing  on.  .  51 

Platinotype,  The .  55 

Sizing .  55 

Stock  Solutions .  56 

Chlorate  of  Iron  Solution .  57 

Sensitizing  Solution .  57 

Keeping  Apparatus  Dry .  58 

Sensitizing  the  Paper .  58 

Drying  the  Sensitized  Paper .  59 

Preserving  the  Paper .  59 

Printing .  60 

Developer .  61 


220 


INDEX. 


PAGE 


Development .  61 

Washing  the  Prints .  62 

Porcelain  Printing .  162 

Collodion . .  162 

Preparation  of  the  Plate .  162 

The  Exposure .  162 

Toning .  163 

Potassic  Ferric  Oxalate,  Preparation 

of .  56 

Preparing  Metal  Plates  for  the  En¬ 
graver  .  207 

The  Collodion .  207 

Preparing  the  Plates .  207 

Developing .  207 

Fixing .  207 

Printing .  ...  34 

The  Frame .  34 

Printing  Maxims .  35 

Printing  Rules  for  Cold  Weather. ...  50 

Preserving  Sensitized  Paper .  39 

T>  EADY-SENSITIZED  PAPER, 

Printing  on .  36 

Toning  Bath .  37 

Fixing  Bath .  37 

Recovery  of  Silver  from  Photographic 

Wastes .  .  210 

Recovery  of  Platinum  from  Resi¬ 
dues .  214 

Red  Prints .  163 

Methods  for  Making .  163 

On  Silvered  Paper . 163 

By  the  Carbon  Process .  163 

By  the  Nitrate  of  Uranium  Pro¬ 
cess .  163 

Resinized  Paper,  Printing  on .  51 

Bertrand’s  Method .  51 

Henry  Cooper’s  Method .  52 

Resume  of  Printing  Processes  .  14 

CILVER  BATH,  The .  25 

To  Determine  the  Strength  of 

Salting  of  any  Paper .  25 

Preparation  of  the  Bath .  26 

Formula  for  Sensitizing  Baths  for 
Strong  Negatives .  27 


PAGE 

Formula  for  Sensitizing  Baths  for 


Thin  Negatives .  27 

The  Author’s  Favorite  Bath .  27 

C.  W.  Hearn’s  Formula  .  27 

Management  of .  30 

Methods  of  Removing  Impurities 

from  .  30 

Points  in  Sensitizing .  32 

Silk,  Printing  on .  .  105 

Platinum  Process  for .  105 

The  Carbon  Process  for .  108 

Silver  Nitrate,  Preparation  of .  214 

THEORY  OF  LIGHT,  The .  11 

Toning .  41 

Stock  Solution  for .  41 

For  Brown  Tones .  41 

For  Black,  Velvety  Tones .  41 

For  Purple  and  Black  Tones. ...  42 

For  Rich  Purple  Tones .  42 

For  Sepia  and  Black  Tones .  42 

For  Sepia  Tones .  44 

With  Platinum  Bath .  42 

With  Borax . 42 

Charles  W.  Hearn’s  Toning  Bath  43 
The  Photographic  Times  Ton¬ 
ing  Bath .  43 

The  Chautauqua  Toning  Bath. . .  44 

Spaulding’s  Toning  Bath .  44 

The  Price  Formula .  44 

Formula  for  Resinized,  Gelatin¬ 
ized,  Leatherized  and  Plain 

Paper .  45 

Sulphocyanide  of  Ammonia .  45 

General  Directions .  45 

Remarks  on  General  Composi¬ 
tion  for  Toning  Baths .  46 

Maxims  of  Toning .  48 

Rules  for  Toning  in  Cold  Weather  50 

Transparencies .  132 

Best  Plate  for .  132 

Exposure  of .  133 

Printing . 133 

Developing .  133 

Fixing .  134 

Clearing .  135 

Washing .  135 


INDEX. 


221 


Mounting  . 

^  By  the  Carbon  Process . 

By  the  Albumen  Method . 

By  the  Collodio-chloride  Process 
By  the  Gelatino-bromide  Process 
By  the  Gelatino-chloride  Process 
By  Levy’s  Collodion  Emulsion. . 
By  Carbutt’s  Method . 

TTRANIUM  COMPOUNDS, 

Printing  with . . 

Sensitizing  Solution . 


PAGE 

Developing  Solution  for  Brown 

Tones .  24 

Developing  Solution  for  Gray 
Tones .  24 


WASHING .  48 

With  Eau  de  Javelle .  49 

With  the  Hypochlorite  of  Zinc 

Hypo  Eliminator . .  50 

Willis’  Permanent  Paper,  Printing 

on .  38 


t 


PAGE 

135 

136 

137 

138 

138 

138 

139 

142 

24 

24 


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gallery. 

Paper  dried  with  it  lays  perfectly  flat, 
and  therefore  better  prints  can  be  ob¬ 
tained. 

You  can  also  cut  your  paper  either 
lengthwise  or  crosswise  of  the  sheet,  as  it 
neither  stretches  nor  shrinks  afterwards. 

In  addition,  it  is  very  desirable  for 
handling  Eastman’s  Bromide  Paper. 


PRICE. 

18  x  23  size,  each, 

20  x  24  “  “ 


$1  50 
1  75 


Patented. 

KUHN’S 

Improved  Vignetting  Attachment, 

For  Vignetting  the  Negative. 

Light,  Strong  and  Durable. 

•  reliable,  and  quickly  ad- 

justed  to  any  Lens,  by  the  means  of  a 
thumb  screw.  It  can  be  raised  or 
lowered  at  will  to  any  position  desired 
by  the  operator,  by  simply  pulline  a 
cord,  without  leaving  his  position  be- 
nind  ihe  camera. 

PRICE,  each,  -  _  $3  50 

The  HJagic  Vignetto. 

For  Producing  the  Popular  Black 
Background  Photographs. 

There  is  no  more  trouble  or  expense 
than  in  making  plain  photographs. 

It  is  easily  attached  to  any  Camera, 
by  fastening  it  on  the  inside  of  dia^ 
phragm  of  box  (as  shown  in  cut 
above).  The  opening  can  be  regulated 
to  the  propel-  size  by  simply  moving 
the  lever  to  or  from  you.  Focus  and 
expose  as  usual.  Every  one  guaran¬ 
teed. 

PRICE,  each,  -  -  $8  00 

Hi]  Sample  photograph  sent  on  application 

H.  A.  HYATT,  '  * 

Sole  Agent,  and  Dealer  in  Photographic  Supplies  of  Every  Description, 

N.  E.  Cor.  8th  and  Locust  Sts.,  ST.  LOUIS,  3VEO. 

FOR  SALE  BY  ALL  DEALERS. 


Vi  1 


CARBUTT’S 

“Keystone”  Dry  Plate, 

PRONOUNCED  THE 

NE  PLUS  ULTRA  OF  DRY  PLATES. 


SPECIAL  INSTANTANEOUS  PLATES  - 

(Blue  Label),  Sensitometer  22  to  25.  Are  for  Portraits,  Interiors, 
and  Drop  Shutter  work.  Large  consumers  can  have  their  orders 
filled  from  one  Emulsion. 

“ B ”  PLATES 

(White  Label),  Sensitometer  15  to  17.  Is  the  Landscape  Plate 
par  excellence. 

ORTHOCHNOMATIC  PLATES, 

for  Portraiture,  Copying  of  Paintings  and  Art  objects,  Interiors, 
and  Landscape  Views. 

STRIPPING  PLATES, 

for  Photo-mechanical  Printers,  made  with  “  B  ”  or  Special  Emul¬ 
sion  as  desired. 

GELATINO- ALBUMEN  “  A  ”  PLATES, 

Sensitometer  12  to  14,  for  Transparencies,  on  Thin  Crystal  Glass 
for  Lantern  Slides,  and  selected  plain  and  fine  Ground  Glass  for 
Transparencies. 

CARBUTT’S  MULTUM  IN  PARVO  DRY  PLATE  LANTERN, 

AND  OTHER  SPECIALTIES. 


FOR  SALE  BY 

Scovill  Manufacturing  Company,  New  York, 

And  Dealers  to  Photographic  Materials  Generally. 

Descriptive  Circulars  mailed  on  application  to 

JOHN  CARBUTT, 

KEYSTONE  DRY  PLATE  WORKS, 

Wayne  Junction,  Philadelphia. 


Vlll 


THE  AMERICAN  OPTICAL  COMPANY’S 

APPARATUS, 

INCLUDING  ALL  STYLES  OF 

Cameras  ;  Enlarging,  Reducing,  Copying  and  Multiply¬ 
ing  Boxes;  Tripods;  Plate-Holders,  for  Wet  or 
Dry-Plates  ;  Printing  Frames  ;  Amateur 
Outfits,  etc.,  etc.,  has  long  been 

UNRIVALLED  FOR  BEAUTY  OF  RESIGN, 
UNEQUALLED  FOR  DURABILITY  OF  CONSTRUCTION, 

— AND — 

UN  APPROACHED  FOR  FINENESS  OF  FINISH. 


THEY  ^ALWAYS  GIVE  UNQUALIFED  SATISFACTION. 


FOR  SALE  BY  ALL 

Reputable  Photographic  Dealers, 

AND  BY  THE 

SCOVILL  MANUFACTURING  CO., 

423  BROOME  STREET, 

NEW  YORK. 

W.  IRVING  ADAMS,  Agent. 


Send,  fox*  Latest  Catalogue. 

ix 


FOR  SILVERING, 

The  WATERBURY  Trays  are  the  BEST  and  CHEAPEST 


These  Trays  are  made  by 
the 

Mricaii  optical  Co. 

which  of  itself  is  a  guarantee 
of  the  superiority  of  the  wood 
work. 

Canvas  is  not  required 
for  the  seams,  as  the  bottoms 
are  seamless.  The  bottom  rests 
on  cross-strips — a  great  im¬ 
provement,  for  steadiness,  over 
knobs  at  the  corners,  which 
were  liable  to  be  broken  off. 


THE 

WATERBURY  TRAYS 

are  guaranteed  not  to  warp 
or  crack. 


PRICE  LIST.  Each. 

15x19  Waterbury  Trays . $3  50 

19x24  “  “  5  00 

22x28  “  “  6  50 

25x30  “  “  9  00 


x 


Preserve  Your  Prints  From  Fading! 

READ  WHAT  IS  SAID  ABOUT 

Flandreau’s  S.  R  C.  Hypo  Eliminator. 

Taken  from  The  Photographic  Times  of  June  3d,  1887. 


THE  NEW  HYPO  ELIMINATOR. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Photographic  Times. 

entitle?'^  do  tbe$°S£lXZ“,  “  f110™'  ««• 

the  hypochlorite  of  zinc  for  removing  th“  ast  trace*  strongly  recommend 

In  doing  this  you  doubtless  bring  to n53S?n?om  sl,lver  Prints, 
portant  improvement  in  print  washme-  that  Photographers  the  most  im- 

made.  There  is  no  doubt  hi  my  mind^that  the  «g^eSte<?  s-ln-ce  prints  were  flrst 

and  that  for  which  a  simple  and  practical'remeH  per,ta!nl.ng  to  silver  prints, 

not  eliminated  from  them.  Nowthat  the  ne.ed®d>  is  the  hypo  that  is 

in  an  effectual  and  perfectly  harmless  manned  P!1S!llng  thls  desirable  end 

possibly  exist  for  its  not  being ToncI  uK^lv  adontePdT^d  °Ut’  wTha^  ^cuse  caa 
use  as  soon  as  I  can  obtain  a  fupply  of  the  requilfte ^material  '  °De’ 1  ShaU  put  11  to 

wh^g2S^r^S^S.*a  tanHbL0doUr'ing'nhan!rS  in  their  Practice  in 
decidedly  tangible.  By  us  ng  fhis  alen t  rhe  nr.nt  Z  V1S1,ble'  Bat  here  is  something 
with  half  the  water,  and  whft  is  mulh  more  Wasbed  in  half  the  time! 

not  a  particle  of  hypo  or  sulphur™hall  remain  n  i  m,  ghiy  m,ay  the  work  be  done  that 
which  every  conscientious  pCogranhlr  Sho,,  d  £urel?  th,s  i?  an  improvement 
Not  having  practically  tested  tl  !nr!Lil0T  Hd„1S?  n0  tl,meJI?  Putting  into  practice, 
ence,  but  its  application  is  certainly  theoreHen ih?  not  sP?a^  lt;  from  actual  experi- 

there  can  be  any  drawback  fn  itfuL  6  y  COrrect-  and  U  seems  impossible  that 

be  f ih^discusse^.4116  C°ming  °°n  Ve^yTespeTfS!  °f  4116  N®W  HyP°  EIiminator  will 

• - - - - - .  W.  H.  Sherman. 

Flantoii’g  p.  (J.  pijpo  Eliminator1 


—  IS  A  — 


hypochlorite  of  zinc, 

Ofwhioh  the  Letter  Speaks  so  favorably. 
IT  IS  HARMLESS!  IT  IS  EFFECTIVE! 

It  Saves  TIME,  PATIENCE,  NEGATIVES  and  PRINTS. 

trodoci^  aSS6rti0n  “PhotographkRs  are  Proverbially  Slow  in  in- 

lortantin,  ”  PrACTICE'”  by  delayu>g  to  procure  this  “  most  im - 

prinT:^  Which  h°°  ^  since 


BUY  A  BOTTLE  AT  ONCE  I 


IT  cOSTS  BUT  FIFTY  CENTS  l 

And  is  accompanied  by  a  BOOK  OF  TEST  PAPER,  for  detecting  the 
slightest  trace  of  Hypo  in  negative  or  print. 

Tor  sale  by  all  Dealers  in  Photographic  Requisites,  and  by  the 

Scovill  Manufacturing  Company. 

xi 


Scovill’s  Ready-Sensitized  Albumen  Paper 

This  Paper  was  expressly  manufactured  for  and  introduced  by  us  to 
give  to  those  who  have  not  the  skill,  time,  inclination  or  appliances  to 
sensitize  photographic  paper  preparatory  to  printing,  an  article  of  the 
finest  quality  and  of  uniform  sensitiveness. 


PRICE  LIST. 

Size.  Per  Dozen* 

4x5  inches,  in  light-tight  rolls,  2  dozen . $0  20 

5x8“  “  “  2  “  37% 

6%x  8%  “  “  “  2  “  .  50 

8  x  10  “  “  “  2  “  .  7o 

18  x  22  “  “  “  1  “  .  3  00 

To  save  loss ,  Rolls  are  not  broken. 

Tin  Cases,  to  hold  one  dozen,  18  x  22  Sensitized  Paper,  30c.  each. 

“  “  three  “  “  “  “  50c.  “ 


I 


S.  P.  C.  Ferro-Prussiate  Paper,  MAKING  Blue  and  White  Pictures. 

PRICE  LIST. 

Size.  Per  Package. 

4x5  inches,  in  light-tight  parcels,  2  dozen . $0  28 

g  x  8  “  “  “  2  “  50 

8^  “  “  “  2  “  67 

8  '  x  10  "  “  “  “  2  “  B3 

To  save  loss,  Parcels  are  not  broken. 

In  full  Rolls  of  11  yards  each,  29  inches  wide,  $5  00  per  Roll. 


THREE-CROWN  ALBDMENIZED  PAPER, 

Used  by  MORA,  FREDRICKS,  ANDERSON,  MORENO  & 
DOPED,  and  the  leading  Photographers  of  this  country. 


DRESDEN  ALBUMEN  PAPER] 


DRESDEN  ALBUMEN  PAPER 


DRESDEN  ALBUMEN  PAPER, 


THE  BEST  WORKING,  DOES  NOT  BLISTER. 

THE  ORIGINAL  PENSE  PAPER, 

TRY  IT  ONCE.  FOR  SALE  BY  ALL  DEALERS. 

SCOVILL  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY,  Importers. 

xii 


READY-PREPARED  SOLUTIONS 

For  Photographers’  Uses. 

FRENCH  AZOTATE  (For^gT^  Price,  per  bottle  25  ct, 

S.  P.  C.  PYRO  AND  POTASH  DEVELOPER,  Price,  per  package'  60  cts' 
S.  P.  C.  CARBONATE  OF  SODA  DEVELOPER,  Price,  per  p  k  ge  60  cts 

HAS,S™  -k  negatives)'  ' 

■  -  75  cts 

FLANDREAU’S  S.  P.  C.  HYPO  ELIMINATOR  (For  removing 

PdS  vex  bottle P°S-thPhltei  °f  fSoda  fr0m  Ne^atives  and  Prints)8 
rrice,  per  bottle,  with  book  of  testing  paper,  .  -  50  cts 

FLANDREAU’S  S.  P.  C.  ORTHOCHROMATIC  SOLUTION  bv 

package, "y  "  ^  ?ndered  ™lor-SenSTt,Ve  Price  ’pe^ 

FLANDREAU’S  S.  P.  C.  RETOUCHING  FLUID,  for  varnished  $I  °° 
or  unvarnished  negatives.  Price,  per  bottle,  -  .  25cts. 

For  jsale  by  all  dealers  in  Photographic  Requisites,  and  by  the 

Scovill  Manufacturing  Company. 

Scovill  Printing  Frames. 

The  Scovill  Printing  Frames  are  now 
provided,  in  all  sizes,  with  the  new  tally, 
without  addition  to  the  price.  Below  5x7 
size  there  is  room  for  the  tally  only  where 
the  backs  are  cut  “  two-thirds,”  as  shown  in 
the  illustration. 

The  Scovill  Printing  Frames  are  made 
of  cherry,  and  have  superior  brass  springs 
constructed  on  scientific  principles.  On  the 
flat  printing  frames,  these  springs  are  se¬ 
cured  by  rivets  and  turn  on  brass  washers, 
being  held  at  the  end  by  buttons  made  so 
that  they  cannot  turn  around.  They  are 
constructed  so  that  a  uniform  pressure  is 
obtained,  thus  insuring  perfect  contact 
between  the  paper  and  the  negative,  and  re¬ 
moving  the  danger  of  breaking  the  latter. 

The  back-boards  are  also  so  arranged  that 
the  progress  of«the  printing  may  be  watched 
without  danger  of  shifting  the  paper. 

LIST. 

For  Regular  Flat,  , 

Plates.  or  Two-thirds. 

11  x  16... . $2  05 . 

14  x  17 .  2  45 . 

16  x  20 .  4  50 . 

17  x  20  .  4  50 . 

18  x  22 .  5  00 . 

20  x  24  .  5  50 . 

24  x  30 . 9  oo 

35  x  45 . 16  00 

30x  60* . 22  00 

riclfortheresnecdvfsizes0  °Pen  len^thways’  ten  Per  «nt.  is  added  to  the  foregoing 


Patent  Applied  For. 


'For 

Plates. 

3*x  4i . 

4  x  5  . 

Regular  Flat, 
or  Two-thirds. 

3PRIOIC 

Deep. 

4J-  x  5J- . 

.  75 

4i  x  6jr . 

5  x  7 . 

Q* 

5  x  8  . 

6J  x  8£ . 

1  OK 

8  x  10  . 

i  nn 

10  x  12  .... 

11  x  14  . 

. 2  50 

Deep. 
.$2  75 
.  3  00 
.  3  75 
.  4  75 
5  25 
5  50 


prices  ior  tne  respective  sizes. 

*  Larger  or  special  sizes  made  to  order  at  short  notice. 


xiii 


A  STANDARD  BOOK  OF  REFERENCE. 


SECOND  EDITION 

OF  THE 

AMERICAN  ANNUAL  OF  PHOTOGRAPHY 

AND 

“PHOTOGRAPHIC  TIMES”  ALMANAC 

For  1887, 

C.  W.  CANFIELD,  Editor, 

It  contains  five  full  page  illustrations  : 

AN  EXQUISITE  PHOTOGRAVURE,  by  Ernest  Edwards. 

A  BROMIDE  PRINT,  by  the  Eastman  Company. 

A  SILVER  PRINT,  by  Gustav  Cramer,  of  St.  Louis. 

TWO  MOSSTYPES,  by  the  Moss  Engraving  Company. 

197  pages  of  Contributed  Matter,  consisting  of  articles  on  various 
subjects,  by  80  representative  writers  of  this  country  and  Europe. 

Also,  in  addition  to  the  contributed  articles  : — Yearly  Calendar.  Eclip¬ 
ses,  the  Seasons.  Church  Days,  Holidays,  etc.  Monthly  Calendar,  giving 
Sunrise  and  Sunset  for  every  day  in  the  year  ;  Moon’s  phases  ;  also,  dates 
of  meetings  of  all  American  Photographic  Societies.  A  list  of  American 
and  European  Photographic  Societies.  Photographic  Periodicals,  Ameri¬ 
can  and  European.  Books  relating  to  Photography,  published  188G.  Ap¬ 
proved  Standard  Formulas  for  all  processes  now  in  general  use.  Tables 
of  Weights  and  Measures.  American  and  Foreign  Money  Values.  Com¬ 
parisons  of  Thermometric  Readings.  Comparisons  of  Barometric  Read¬ 
ings.  Symbols  and  Atomicity  of  the  Chemical  Elements.  Symbols, 
Chemical  and  common  names  and  solubilities  of  the  substances  used  in 
Photography.  Tables  for  Enlargements  and  Reductions.  Equations  re¬ 
lating  to  Foci.  Tables  of  Comparative  Exposures,  Freezing  Mixtures. 
Photographic  Patents  issued  1886.  Postage  Rates.  All  Tables,  Formulas, 
etc.,  brought  down  to  date  and  especially  prepared  or  revised  for  this  work. 

j Price,  per  Copy ,  50  Cents.  Postage ,  10c . 

“  Cloth  Bound,  $1.00.  “  “ 

A  few  author’s  copies,  bound  in  white  leatherette,  gilt  lettering, 
and  printed  upon  laid  paper,  each  $2.50. 

For  sale  by  all  dealers,  and  by  the  publishers, 

S00VILL  MANUFACTUBING  COMPANY. 


xiv 


ScoYill’s  Photographic  Series. 


Price, 
Per  Copy. 

Guide 


75 


25 


25 

25 


T  Y  oun  g  Photograph  er  ^  it  her  ProT  By  Ji  Tr  aILL  Taylor.  A  Guid. 

K  rmotographer,  either  Professional  or  Amateur.  (Second  Ed.)  $0  So 

o.  —THE  ART  AND  PRACTICE  OF  SILVER  PRINTING.  (Second  Edition)  Sc 

3. — Out  of  print. 

N°.  5—PgOTOGRAPHY  WITH  EMULSIONS.-By  Capt.  W  De  W  Abney 
aRndECo^dtn  1^.^!^, 

No.  6.-N0.  i7  has  taken  the  place  of  this  book. 

NO‘  7  ^oth^r^^ebrat^d ^xp^E^^(Thlrd^Editio^S  .*^Y  M' 

No-  ^"iSS  , 

O.  9.  Tg^EgVE  gEEMENTARY  LESSONS  IN  PHOTOGRAPHIC  CHEM 
STRY- Presented  in  very  concise  and  attractive  shape.  (Second  EdiTion.) 

No.  ro.-THE  BRITISH  JOURNAL  PHOTOGRAPHIC  ALMANAC  FOR  i883. 

No.  11. — Out  of  print. 

N°’  PRINTING. 

No.  14.  ABOUT  PHOTOGRAPHY  AND  PHOTOGRAPHERS  a 

.  wfthrcamera6  ^yS  . 

N°'  1S,“  Ed?r  OF  THE  SPECTRUM.- By  Dr.  J.  M. 

N°‘  ^'“AutKFpictorial  Effec^Tn  »jr  H.  P.  Robinson. 

finely  illustrated.  Illuminated Covlr,  ^c'ts.Taoth p°P^  iorm  and 

No.  17.— FIRST  LESSONS  IN  AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY  Rv  p„„  p 

W Sf3g«.  „ 

N0.18.-THE  STUDIO:  AND  WHAT  TO  DO  IN  IT  -  Bv  H  P  R„ 

N°' *9  _ '^Mmi^^Wito^nJhim^recfaQd^five’practicafiEustnitions ,  Su»: .  J 

No.  20.  DRY  PLATE  MAKING  FOR  AMATEURS. — By  G,o.  L.  S,™.  M.D., 


2  50 


5° 


5° 


25 


75 


N°'  ”•  GRAPHIC ' TIMES  ALMANAC  %R  1?'!2?RAC1K. AND  PHOTO- 

(postage,  ten  cents  additionab  ^l^bound .  .  5°  CentS; 

No-  ”“p.“TOg;.raci,^.™.i:,.NG.  ,methods-bp  <* *».  w.  h.  b™’ 


75 

5° 


1  8 


xv 


SCOVILL’S 


OTHER 

Photographic  Publications. 

Price, 
Per  Copy. 

HOW  TO  MAKE  PHOTOGRAPHS.— Containing  full  instructions  for  making  Pa¬ 
per  Negatives.  Sent  free  to  any  practitioner  of  the  art.  New  edition  just  out.. 

ART  RECREATIONS.— A  guide  to  decorative  art.  Ladies’  popular  guide  in  home 

decorative  work.  Edited  by  Marion  Kemble .  2  00 

THE  FERROTYPERS’  GUIDE.— Cheap  and  complete.  For  the  ferrotyper,  this 

is  the  only  standard  work.  Seventh  thousand . . .  75 

THE  PHOTOGRAPHIC  STUDIOS  OF  EUROPE.— By  H.  Baden  Pritchard, 

F.C.S.  Paper,  50  cts.  ;  Cloth .  1  00 

PHOTOGRAPHIC  MANIPULATION.— Second  edition.  Treating  of  the  practice 

of  the  art  and  its  various  applications  to  nature.  By  Lake  Price .  1  5° 

HISTORY  AND  HAND-BOOK  OF  PHOTOGRAPHY.— Translated  from  the 

French  of  Gaston  Tissandier,  with  seventy  illustrations .  2  50 

AMERICAN  CARBON  MANUAL.— For  those  who  want  to  try  the  carbon  print¬ 
ing  process,  this  work  gives  the  most  detailed  information .  2  00 

MANUAL  DE  FOTOGRAFIA.— By  Augustus  Le  Plongeon.  (Hand-Book  for 

Spanish  Photographers.)  Reduced  to .  1-°° 

SECRETS  OF  THE  DARK  CHAMBER.  -  By  D.  D.  T.  Davie . $1  00 

HOW  TO  SIT  FOR  YOUR  PICTURE.— By  Chip.  Racy  and  sketchy .  30 

THE  PHOTOGRAPHER’S  GUIDE.— By  John  Towler,  M.D.  A  text-book  for 

the  Operator  and  Amateur .  1  5° 

A  COMPLETE  TREATISE  ON  SOLAR  CRAYON  PORTRAITS  AND 
TRANSPARENT  LIQUID  WATER  COLORS.— By  J.  A.  Barhydt.  Practical 
ideas  and  directions  given.  Amateurs  will  learn  ideas  of  color  from  this  book 
that  will  be  of  value  to  them.  And  any  one  by  carefully  following  the  directions 
on  Crayon,  will  be  able  to  make  a  good  Crayon  Portrait .  5° 

THE  BRITISH  JOURNAL  ALMANAC  FOR  1887 .  50 

PHOTO  NEWS  YEAR  BOOK  OF  PHOTOGRAPHY  for  1887 . .  5° 

CANOE  AND  CAMERA. — A  Photographic  tour  of  two  hundred  miles  through 

Maine  forests.  By  Thomas  Sedgwick  Steele.  Illustrated .  1  5° 

PADDLE  AND  PORTAGE.— By  Thomas  Sedgwick  Steele  .  1  5° 

PRACTICAL  INSTRUCTOR  OF  PHOTO-ENGRAVING  AND  ZINC  ETCH¬ 
ING  PROCESSES.— By  Alex.  F.  Leslie  .  5° 


SOME  PHOTOGRAPHIC  REFERENCE  BOOKS. 

Price, 
Per  Copy. 

AMERICAN  HAND-BOOK  OF  THE  DAGUERREOTYPE.— By  S.  D.  Hum¬ 
phrey.  (Fifth  Edition.)  This  book  contains  the  various  processes  employed  in 

taking  Heliographic  impressions .  10 

THE  NEW  PRACTICAL  PHOTOGRAPHIC  ALMANAC.— Edited  by  J.  H. 

Fitzgibbon .  25 

MOSAICS  FOR  1870,  1871,  1872,  1873,  1875,  1878,  1882,  1883,  1884 .  25 

BRITISH  JOURNAL  ALMANAC  FOR  1878,  1882 .  2s 

PHOTO.  NEWS  YEAR-BOOK  OF  PHOTOGRAPHY  FOR  1871,  1882 .  25 

THE  PHOTOGRAPHER’S  FRIEND  ALMANAC  FOR  1873 .  25 


XVI 


Wilson’s  Photographic  Publications. 


WILSON  S  PHOTOGRAPHICS.—  By  Edward  L.  Wilson,  Ph.D. 
and  most  complete  photographic  lesson-book.  Covers  every 
352  pages.  Finely  illustrated . 


Price, 
Per  Copy. 

The  newest 
department. 

.  4  00 


WILSON'S  QUARTER  CENTURY  IN  PHOTOGAPHY.-By  Edward  L.  W.l- 
son,  Ph.D.  Just  out.  “The  best  of  everything  boiled  out  from  all  sources.” 
Profusely  illustrated,  substantially  bound...  . 

.  4  00 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  PHOTOGRAPHY  SINCE  THE  YEAR  i879.-By  Dr.  H. 

W.  Vogel,  Professor  and  Teacher  of  Photography  and  Spectrum  Analysis  at  the 
Imperial  Technical  High  School  in  Berlin.  Translated  from  the  German  by 
Ellerslie  Wallace,  Jr.,  M.  D.  Revised  by  Edward  L.  Wilson,  Editor  of  the 
Philadelphia  Photographer.  A  review  of  the  more  important  discoveries  in 
Photography  and  Photographic  Chemistry  within  the  last  four  years,  with 
special  consideration  of  Emulsion  Photography  and  an  additional  chapter  on 
Photography  for  Amateurs.  Intended  also  as  a  supplement  to  the  Third  Edition 
of  the  Handbook  of  Photography.  Embellished  with  a  full-page  electric-light 
portrait  by  Kurtz,  and  seventy-two  wood  cuts .  3  o0 

PHOTOGRAPHERS’  POCKET  REFERENCE  BOOK.- By  Dr.  H.  W.  Vogel. 

For  the  dark  room.  It  meets  a  want  filled  by  no  other  book.  Full  of  formulas- 
short,  practical  and  plain 

.  1  5° 

PICTORIAL  EFFECT  IN  PHOTOGRAPH  Y.-By  H.  P.  Robinson.  For  the  art 
photographer.  Cloth,  $1.50;  paper  cover...  . 

.  I  OO 

WILSON’S  LANTERN  JOURNEYS.-By  Edward  L.  Wilson,  Ph.D.  In  two 
volumes.  For  the  Lantern  Exhibitor.  Gives  incidents  and  facts  in  entertain¬ 
ing  style  of  about  2,000  places  and  things,  including  200  of  the  Centennial  Exhibi- 
tion.  Per  volume . 

.  2  00 


THE  PHOTOGRAPHIC  COLORISTS’  GUIDE. — By  John  L.  Gihon.  The 
newest  and  best  work  on  painting  photographs;  Cloth . 

PHOTOGRAPHIC  MOSAICS.  Published  annual, v.  Cloth  hound,  P,per 

cover . 

PHILADELPHIA  PHOTOGRAPHER.-PuBlished  Sem, -Monthly.  Illustrated. 
Per  year,  $5.00  ;  with  weekly  Photographic  Times . 


READ  WHAT  IS  SAID 

OF  THE 

Photographic  Times. 


I  congratulate  you  on  making  the  Photographic  Times  the  leader 
of  American  photographic  periodicals.  A.  B.  stebbins. 


We  cannot  keep  house  without  the  Times. 


W.  H.  Dunwick. 


Fred.  White- 


Your  Photographic  Times  gets  better  every  number. 
head,  Augustine,  Fla. 

I  am  very  much  pleased  with  the  Times,  and  value  it  more  highly  than 
any  other  I  have  seen.  John  M.  Rae,  Sutton,  West,  P.  O. 

After  seeing  a  specimen  copy  I  could  not  possibly  do  without  the 
Photographic  Times,  Fred.  Whitehead,  Augustine,  Fla. 

Without  your  journal  the  fraternity  are  behind  the  times,  and,  like  a 
crab,  are  moving  backwards.  A.  K.  A.  &  M.  Liebich,  Cleveland,  O. 

Any  Photographer  that  will  go  without  the  Times  weekly,  ought  to  go 
without  his  head.  J-  W.  Alldings,  Waterbury. 

It  is  a  most  admirably  arranged  journal,  presents  a  handsome  appear¬ 
ance,  and  is  a  credit  to  its  publishers.  John  Worthington,  U.  S.  Consul. 

In  behalf  of  the  Times  allow  me  to  say  that  I  have  been  a  regular  sub¬ 
scriber  for  nearly  three  years,  and  though  I  take  a  large  number  of  jour 
nals  of  various  kinds,  there  is  none  I  look  for  with  more  inures  1 
the  Times.  Prof-  W-  S'  Goodnough. 

I  believe  it  unnecessary  to  state  that  I  regard  the  Times  as  one  of  the 
best  journals  devoted  to  photography  published  in  the  English  language, 
and  find  many  others  of  a  like  opinion.  John  G.  Casselbaln. 

All  here  (England)  who  have  any  real  knowledge  of  the ;  subject,  agree 
that  the  Times  is  the  best  medium  in  America.  W.  M.  Ashman. 

I  bind  mv  Times  each  year,  and  find  it  makes,  with  a  good  index,  a 

very  valuable  storehouse  of  information.  G.  F.  H.  Bartlett. 

I  receive  my  weekly  Times,  and  am  delighted  with  its  fresh  and  in¬ 
structive  contents,  giving  at  all  times  something  to  think  about  and  ex¬ 
periment  with.  A.  S.  Murray,  President  of  the  Pittsburgh  Amateur  Photo¬ 
graphic  Society. 

As  times  were  rather  tight  this  spring,  I  thought  to  economize  by 

taking  the - ,  but  it  is  too  much  watered— too  thin  entirely,  too  much 

chaff  to  the  kernel  of  wheat.  I  can’t  live  on  husks  alone  ;  please  take  pity 
on  me  'and  send  the  weekly  Photographic  Times  from  the  beginning  of 
the  present  volume,  and  oblige,  E.  Ferris,  Malone,  New  \ork. 

The  Times  is  a  very  great  help  to  beginners  in  the  art  of  photography 
like  myself.  Unlike  many  other  journals,  your  articles  are  practical  and 
simple,  and  a  wonderful  help  to  those  of  us  who  are  trying  to  learn  to 
“  take  pictures.”  I  read  it  with  intense  interest,  and  hope  that  you  will 
continue  to  make  it  a  journal  for  amateurs  as  well  as  for  those  more  ad¬ 
vanced  in  the  art.  A.  D.  Cutter,  Cleveland,  O. 


xvm 


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